Injection Drug Use and HAART Patterns
Author Information
Author(s): Morris John D, Golub Elizabeth T, Mehta Shruti H, Jacobson Lisa P, Gange Stephen J
Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Hypothesis
Participants with a history of injection drug use would be more likely to switch or discontinue their initial HAART regimen.
Conclusion
Injection drug use does not appear to be an independent risk factor for HAART switching or discontinuation in more recent years.
Supporting Evidence
- Individuals with a history of IDU had a median time to HAART discontinuation of 1.1 years compared to 2.5 years for those without.
- After 1999, the risk of HAART discontinuation for those with a history of IDU was not significantly different from those without.
- Factors such as race/ethnicity and income were significant predictors of HAART discontinuation.
Takeaway
This study looked at people using HIV treatment and found that those who used drugs by injection didn't change their treatment more than those who didn't, especially in recent years.
Methodology
Longitudinal data from three cohort studies were analyzed using proportional-hazards models to identify factors associated with HAART modification.
Potential Biases
Potential confounding factors such as income level and employment status were not uniformly measured across cohorts.
Limitations
Data on antiretroviral use were based on self-report, which may lead to misreporting.
Participant Demographics
37% of participants had a history of injection drug use; demographics varied across cohorts.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.05
Confidence Interval
1.03–1.48
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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