Spatial distribution and temporal trends of AIDS in Brazil and regions between 2005 and 2020 / Distribuição espacial e tendência temporal da AIDS no Brasil e regiões entre 2005 e 2020

ABSTRACT: Objective: To analyze the spatial distribution and the temporal trend of the AIDS incidence rate in Brazil from 2005 to 2020. Methods: This is an ecological, temporal, and spatial study on AIDS cases in Brazil. Data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System were stratified by year of diagnosis, region of the country/municipalities of residence, and age group (over 13 years). Incidence rates were calculated for temporal estimation using the Joinpoint model, as well as Spatial Empirical Bayes (SEB) for spatial distribution, using the Kernel density estimator. Results: The incidence rate in Brazil, in 2020, was 17.69 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants. The general trend (2005-2020) was decrease in Brazil (Annual Percent Change - APC=-2.0%), in the Southeast (APC=-4.4%) and South (APC=-3.0%) regions. The North (APC=2.3%) showed an increase trend, whereas the Southeast and Midwest regions were stationary (p>0.05). Brazil, Southeast, South, and Midwest regions showed a decrease trend in most age groups. The Northeast and North regions showed an increase in the age groups of 13-29 years and 13-24 years, respectively. The Kernel estimator showed clusters with SEB above 30/10 thousand inhabitants in the states of Paraíba, Sergipe, Alagoas, Pernambuco, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina. Conclusion: Brazil, the Southeast, and South regions showed a decrease in the incidence rate, whereas the North region increased and the Northeast and Midwest regions were stationary. The Southeast, South, and Northeast regions presented the largest clusters of SEB.

RESUMO: Objetivo: Analisar a distribuição espacial e a tendência temporal da taxa de incidência de AIDS no Brasil no período de 2005 a 2020. Métodos: Estudo ecológico, temporal e espacial sobre os casos de AIDS no Brasil. Dados provenientes do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação do Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde foram estratificados por ano do diagnóstico, região do país/municípios de residência e faixa etária (acima de 13 anos). Foram calculadas as taxas de incidência (TI) para a estimativa temporal por meio do modelo de joinpoint, bem como as taxas bayesianas empíricas espaciais (TBEE) para a distribuição espacial pelo estimador de densidade de Kernel. Resultados: A TI no Brasil no ano de 2020 foi de 17,69 casos para cada 100 mil habitantes. A tendência geral (2005-2020) foi de diminuição no Brasil (variação percentual anual — VPA=-2,0%), Sudeste (VPA=-4,4%) e Sul (VPA=-3,0%). O Norte (VPA=2,3%) demonstrou aumento, enquanto o Sudeste e Centro-oeste foram estacionários (p>0,05). O Brasil, Sudeste, Sul e Centro-oeste apresentaram tendência de diminuição na maioria das faixas etárias. O Nordeste e Norte apresentaram aumento nas faixas etárias de 13 a 29 anos e 13 a 24 anos, respectivamente. O estimador de Kernel demonstrou conglomerados com TBEE acima de 30/10 mil habitantes nos estados de Paraíba, Sergipe, Alagoas, Pernambuco, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rio Grande do Sul e Santa Catarina. Conclusão: O Brasil e as Regiões Sudeste e Sul apresentaram diminuição da TI, enquanto o Norte aumentou e o Nordeste e Centro-oeste foram estacionários. As Regiões Sudeste, Sul e Nordeste apresentaram os maiores conglomerados das TBEE.

Characteristics of a hepatitis C patient cohort at a specialized tertiary care facility: Identifying criteria to improve the allocation of public health resources

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to analyze, in a population treated for hepatitis C infection at a tertiary care treatment unit, the prevalence of comorbidities and extrahepatic manifestations, the range and degree of the clinical complexity and the associations between advanced liver disease and clinical variables. METHODS: Medical records from chronically infected hepatitis C patients seen at a dedicated treatment facility for complex cases in the Infectious Diseases Division of Hospital das Clínicas in Brazil were analyzed. Clinical complexity was defined as the presence of one or more of the following conditions: advanced liver disease (Metavir score F3 or F4 and/or clinical manifestations or ultrasound/endoscopy findings consistent with cirrhosis) or hepatocellular carcinoma and/or 3 or more extrahepatic manifestations and/or comorbidities concomitantly. RESULTS: Among the 1574 patients analyzed, only 41% met the definition of being clinically complex. Cirrhosis or hepatocarcinoma was identified in 22.2% and 1.8% of patients, respectively. According to multiple logistic regression analysis, male sex (p=0.007), age>40 years (p<0.001) and the presence of metabolic syndrome (p=0.008) were independently associated with advanced liver disease. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients did not meet the criteria for admittance to this specialized tertiary service, reinforcing the need to reevaluate public health policies. Enhanced utilization of existing basic and intermediate complexity units for the management of less complex hepatitis C cases could improve care and lower costs.

High rate of virologic suppression with darunavir/ritonavir plus optimized background therapy among highly antiretroviral-experienced HIV-infected patients: results of a prospective cohort study in São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVES: To assess the virologic and immunological response of darunavir/ritonavir plus optimized background therapy in highly antiretroviral-experienced HIV-infected patients in Brazil. METHODS: Prospective cohort study carried out in a tertiary center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Three-class antiretroviral-experienced patients with confirmed virologic failure began darunavir/ritonavir plus optimized background therapy (nucleoside/tide reverse transcriptase inhibitors ± raltegravir ± enfuvirtide ± maraviroc) after performing a genotypic resistance assay. Clinical evaluation and laboratory tests were collected at baseline and at weeks 12, 24, and 48. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors of virologic response at 48 weeks. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients were included. The median of darunavir resistant mutation was 1 (range 0-6). The median genotypic sensitivity score in the optimized background therapy was 2 (interquartile range 1-2). At week 48, 83% (95% CI: 75-90%) had an HIV RNA level <50 copies/mL and the median CD4 cell count was 301 (interquartile range 224-445) cells/mm³. Baseline HIV RNA >100 000 copies/mL was inversely associated with virologic success at week 48 (HR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.06-0.85, p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Darunavir/ritonavir plus optimized background therapy was a highly effective salvage regimen under clinical routine conditions in a referral center in Brazil, which is similar to the reported in high-income countries.

Comparative randomised trial of high and conventional doses of praziquantel in the treatment of schistosomiasis mansoni

The efficacy of oral praziquantel in the treatment of schistosomiasis has been considered low by most public health institutions. In this paper, we compared the efficacy of two dosages of praziquantel (80 mg/kg vs. 50 mg/kg) in patients with chronic schistosomiasis mansoni. Two hundred eighty-eight patients with schistosomiasis from a community in Brazil were randomly divided into two groups: 145 patients (Group 1) received 80 mg/kg body weight of oral praziquantel divided in two equal doses with 1 h interval and 143 patients (Group 2) received 50 mg/kg body weight of oral praziquantel. To keep the study masked, patients in Group 2 received placebo 1 h after the first dose. All patients were subjected to clinical and ultrasonographic examination. Cure assessment was performed by repeating two stool examinations, by a quantitative method, at 30, 90 and 180 days after treatment. The morbidity of schistosomiasis was low, with a few cases of light periportal thickening and 16 cases of mild splenomegaly. The cure rates were 89.7 percent for Group 1 and 83.9 percent for Group 2. There was no difference in the efficacy of both therapeutic dosages of praziquantel assayed. The adverse reactions were more frequent with higher dosage.