Impact of COVID-19 on People Living With HIV: Data From Five Medical Monitoring Project Sites, 2020-2022.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global economic and healthcare systems. People living with HIV (PLWH) represent a marginalized and stigmatized population who may have been particularly impacted. The purpose of this analysis was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PLWH in the United States. SETTING: United States. METHODS: We analyzed surveys of behavioral and clinical characteristics of PLWH residing in 5 states that participated in the Medical Monitoring Project between 2020 and 2022. We described the impact of COVID-19 illness, testing, and diagnoses; receipt of medical care; social service access; employment; and preventive measures by project site and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Unweighted data from 1715 PLWH were analyzed. A high proportion of PLWH had medical care disrupted by the pandemic; 31% of PLWH missed medical appointments, 26% missed routine laboratory test results, and 7% missed antiretroviral therapy doses. In total, 30% of PLWH reported losing wages and 19% reported difficulty in accessing social services. Overall, 88% reported receiving at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but vaccine uptake was low among younger, Black, and Hispanic or Latina/o/x PLWH. CONCLUSIONS: This descriptive analysis reinforces previous findings that show that COVID-19 negatively impacted PLWH and their ability to obtain medical care. Additional efforts will be critical to ameliorating the longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on the health of PLWH and supporting PLWH through future pandemics and healthcare system disruptions.

Predictors of Viral Suppression Among People Living with HIV in Rural Oregon.

With recent outbreaks of HIV in rural areas of the United States, it has become increasingly important to understand the factors affecting health outcomes of people with HIV living in rural areas. We assessed predictors of durable HIV viral suppression among rural participants using a pooled 7-year dataset from the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), a cross-sectional, representative sample of individuals receiving HIV medical care in Oregon. Only 77.3% of rural participants achieved durable HIV viral suppression, while 22.7% had at least one detectable HIV viral load measurement within the past 12 months. The primary predictors of viral suppression were ARV adherence, poverty, and reported heavy drinking in the past 30 days. These results highlight the influence of social factors on health outcomes for persons with HIV living in rural areas and inform areas for policy and program change.

RESUMEN: Con los brotes recientes de VIH en áreas rurales de los Estados Unidos, se ha vuelto cada vez más importante comprender los factores que afectan los resultados de salud de las personas con VIH que viven en áreas rurales. Evaluamos los predictores de la supresión viral del VIH duradera entre los participantes rurales utilizando un conjunto de datos combinados de siete años del Proyecto de Monitoreo Médico (MMP), una muestra transversal y representativa de personas que reciben atención médica para el VIH en Oregón. Solo el 77,3% de los participantes rurales logró una supresión viral del VIH duradera, mientras que el 22,7% tuvo al menos una medición detectable de la carga viral del VIH en los últimos 12 meses. Los predictores primarios de la supresión viral fueron la adherencia a los ARV, la pobreza y el consumo excesivo de alcohol informado en los últimos 30 días. Estos resultados destacan la influencia de los factores sociales en los resultados de salud de las personas con VIH que viven en áreas rurales e informan las áreas para el cambio de políticas y programas.

Social Determinants of Health and Care Outcomes Among People With HIV in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Fewer than 70% of people with HIV (PWH) in the United States have achieved durable viral suppression. To end the HIV epidemic in the United States, clinicians, researchers, and public health practitioners must devise ways to remove barriers to effective HIV treatment. To identify PWH who experience challenges to accessing health care, we created a simple assessment of social determinants of health (SDOH) among PWH and examined the impact of cumulative social and economic disadvantage on key HIV care outcomes. METHODS: We used data from the 2015-2019 Medical Monitoring Project, a yearly cross-sectional survey of PWH in the United States (n = 15 964). We created a 10-item index of SDOH and assessed differences in HIV care outcomes of missed medical appointments, medication adherence, and durable viral suppression by SDOH using this index using prevalence ratios with predicted marginal means. RESULTS: Eighty-three percent of PWH reported at least 1 SDOH indicator. Compared with PWH who experienced none of the SDOH indicators, people who experienced 1, 2, 3, and 4 or more SDOH indicators were 1.6, 2.1, 2.6, and 3.6 as likely to miss a medical appointment in the prior year; 11%, 17%, 20%, and 31% less likely to report excellent adherence in the prior 30 days; and 2%, 4%, 10%, and 20% less likely to achieve durable viral suppression in the prior year, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Among PWH, cumulative exposure to social and economic disadvantage impacts care outcomes in a dose-dependent fashion. A simple index may identify PWH experiencing barriers to HIV care, adherence, and durable viral suppression in need of critical supportive services.

Factors Associated With Increased Syphilis Screening Among People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy effectively reduces the risk of human immunodeficiency virus transmission, but in the context of undetectable equals untransmittable and decreased condom use, rates of syphilis are increasing. In Oregon, syphilis has risen over 20-fold in the past decade, from less than 30 to approximately 600 cases annually during 2016 and 2017. Although many cases are among people living with human immunodeficiency virus infection (PLWH), screening for syphilis among PLWH is often lacking. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of past-year syphilis testing among PLWH in Oregon to identify facility-level and individual-level factors associated with testing. METHODS: We examined 2015 to 2016 Medical Monitoring Project interview and medical records data in Oregon and conducted supplemental interviews with participants' medical providers. We used generalized mixed effects models to identify factors associated with syphilis screening. RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of Medical Monitoring Project participants had past-year syphilis screening. Patients receiving care from facilities with written sexually transmitted infection screening policies were far more likely to be screened than those receiving care from facilities without written policies (94% vs. 43%, P < 0.001). Participants who identified as male were more likely to have been tested, even after adjusting for facility-level characteristics. Clustering within facility accounted for about 15% of the unexplained variability in the adjusted mixed effects models. CONCLUSIONS: Written sexually transmitted infection screening policies at medical facilities appear to be an important tool for ensuring syphilis screening occurs as recommended to prevent the continued rise in syphilis.