Alexander Reza Bazazi

Background: Patients with schizophrenia experience gaps in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care continuum. We examined the impact of dual enrollment in Medicare upon HIV testing and retention among Medicaid‐enrolled patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Using Medicaid Analytic eXtract and Medicare files from 2008 to 2012, we examined adult participants with schizophrenia enrolled in Medicaid or dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. Our outcomes were (a) HIV testing probability among participants without HIV and (b) retention in HIV care among people living with HIV (PLWH) (two HIV viral loads or CD4+ counts >90 days apart and within 1 year). Results: The average annual HIV testing probability was 4.9% among dually enrolled and 7.4% among Medicaid‐enrolled patients ( p < 0.001). Compared to Medicaid‐only, HIV testing for dually enrolled patients were highest among those with opioid use disorder or sexually transmitted infection (STI); and lowest among study sample aged 50–59 years, Asian or White race. Among PLWH, the average retention probability in care was 54.7% for dually enrolled and 44.7% for Medicaid‐enrolled patients ( p < 0.001). Compared to Medicaid‐only, retention probability for dually enrolled patients were highest among those with an STI or dyslipidemia, and lowest among younger sample. Conclusions and Relevance: Dual Medicare enrollment for Medicaid‐enrolled patients benefitted HIV retention efforts more than HIV testing efforts. Differences in public insurance coverage between HIV care retention and testing among patients with schizophrenia, emphasizes the need for ongoing evaluation of the HIV care continuum as payor coverage and policies continue to evolve.

Background: People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders are at elevated risk of HIV, and people with both HIV and schizophrenia are at elevated risk of death compared with individuals with either diagnosis alone. Limited research has assessed the HIV care cascade, and in particular retention in care, among people with HIV (PWH) and schizophrenia in the United States. Methods: This population-based retrospective cohort study used Medicaid claims data to compare retention in HIV care between PWH with schizophrenia (n = 38,217) and matched controls without schizophrenia (n = 29,455) from 2001 to 2012. The primary outcome of annual retention in HIV care was at least 2 tests for CD4⁺ T-cell count or HIV viral load at least 90 days apart per year. Unadjusted and covariate-adjusted differences in period prevalence of retention among cases and controls were estimated. Findings: Annual retention in HIV care was 29.9% (95% CI: 29.4 to 30.4%) among people with schizophrenia and 38.5% (95% CI: 37.9 to 39.1%) among controls, representing 8.5% (95% CI: 9.3 to 7.7) lower retention in unadjusted and 9.0% (95% CI: 9.9 to 8.2) lower retention in adjusted estimates for people with HIV and schizophrenia. This disparity varied across states. Over time, retention increased and the disparity between people with and without schizophrenia diminished. Interpretation: PWH in the United States insured through Medicaid and diagnosed with schizophrenia experience lower retention in HIV care than controls. Suboptimal retention likely drives disparities in HIV-related morbidity and mortality for PWH with schizophrenia, and targeted individual and structural interventions are merited to improve the health of this population.

Background: Study retention is a major challenge in HIV clinical trials conducted with persons recruited from correctional facilities. Objective: To examine study retention in a trial of within-prison methadone initiation and a behavioral intervention among incarcerated men with HIV and opioid dependence in Malaysia. Methods: In this 2x2 factorial trial, 296 incarcerated men with HIV and opioid dependence were allocated to (1) an HIV risk reduction intervention, the Holistic Health Recovery Program for Malaysia (HHRP-M), (2) pre-release methadone initiation, (3) both interventions, or (4) standard care (NCT02396979). Here we estimate effects of these interventions on linkage to the study after prison release and completion of post-release study visits. Results: Most participants (68.9%) completed at least one post-release study visit but few (18.6%) completed all 12. HHRP-M was associated with a 13.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.8%, 23.2%) increased probability of completing at least one post-release study visit. Although not associated with initial linkage, methadone treatment was associated with an 11% (95% CI: 2.0%, 20.6%) increased probability of completing all twelve post-release study visits. Being subject to forced relocation outside Kuala Lumpur after prison release decreased retention by 43.3% (95% CI: −51.9%, −34.8%). Conclusion: Retaining study participants in HIV clinical trials following prison release is challenging and potentially related to the broader challenges that participants experience during community reentry. Researchers conducting clinical trials with this population may want to consider methadone and HHRP as means to improve post-release retention, even in clinical trials where these interventions are not being directly evaluated.

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HIV testing services are the gateway into HIV treatment and are critical for monitoring the epidemic. HIV testing is recommended at least annually in high-risk populations, including people who inject drugs (PWID). In Malaysia, the HIV epidemic is concentrated among PWID, but their adherence to testing recommendations and the proportion of HIV-positive PWID who are aware of their status remain unknown. We recruited 460 PWID in Greater Kuala Lumpur using respondent-driven sampling and conducted HIV testing. We examined past testing behaviors, estimating testing frequency, correlates of testing in the past 12 months, and the proportion of those living with HIV who were aware of their status. Results showed that most PWID living with HIV (90.4%, 95% CI: 83.6%–95.9%) were aware of their status. Among those never previously diagnosed with HIV, few had accessed HIV testing in the past 12 months (14.3%, 95% CI: 11.1%–18.0%). Prison (57.0%) and compulsory drug detention centers (36.1%) were the primary locations where PWID reported ever being HIV tested, and the main correlate of recent testing in regression was recent criminal justice involvement. Although awareness of HIV status may be high among PWID living with HIV in Kuala Lumpur, testing occurs primarily in prisons and compulsory drug detention centers, where it is involuntary and linkage to care is limited. A shift in HIV testing policy is needed to align health and human rights objectives, replacing mandatory testing with voluntary testing in settings where individuals can be rapidly linked to HIV care.

Objectives: HIV-related mortality is increasing in Indonesia, where prisons house many people living with HIV and addiction. We examined all-cause mortality in HIV-infected Indonesian prisoners within prison and up to 24 months postrelease. Materials and methods: Randomly selected HIV-infected male prisoners (n=102) from two prisons in Jakarta, Indonesia, completed surveys in prison and were followed up for 2 years (until study completion) or until they died or were lost to follow-up. Death dates were determined from medical records and interviews with immediate family members. Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression models were analyzed to identify mortality predictors. Results: During 103 person-years (PYs) of follow-up, 15 deaths occurred, including ten in prison. The crude mortality rate within prison (125.2 deaths per 1,000 PYs) was surpassed by the crude mortality rate (215.7 deaths per 1,000 PYs) in released prisoners. HIV-associated opportunistic infections were the most common probable cause of death. Predictors of within-prison and overall mortality were similar. Shorter survival overall was associated with being incarcerated within a specialized “narcotic” prison for drug offenders (hazard ratio [HR] 9.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–76.5; P=0.03), longer incarceration (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01–1.1; P=0.01), and advanced HIV infection (CD4⁺ T-cell count P=0.02). Addiction treatment was associated with longer survival (HR 0.1, 95% CI 0.01–0.9; P=0.03), although treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART) or methadone was not. Conclusion: Mortality in HIV-infected prisoners is extremely high in Indonesia, despite limited provision of ART in prisons. Interventions to restore immune function with ART and provide prophylaxis for opportunistic infections during incarceration and after release would likely reduce mortality. Narcotic prisons may be especially high-risk environments for mortality, emphasizing the need for universal access to evidence-based HIV treatments.