HIV in Spain 2017: policies for a new management of chronicity beyond virological control

The analysis of the available databases related to HIV/AIDS confirms a paradigm shift in the patient's life expectancy: now HIV has become a chronic disease, so patients are aging. However, this advance is accompanied by a negative counterpart: due to the increase in the number of years of life gained, there is a prevalence of comorbidities greater than the general population and at an earlier age. Reducing the risk associated with all the comorbidities that the ageing patient with HIV/AIDS may develop, must now be a health objective; it must be added to the traditional objectives that until now were part of the strategy to reduce the impact of the HIV infection. In the specific case of women, it is also necessary to train peri and postmenopausal women to increase their skills and motivation to care for their health; It is also very important to examine the role that hormone replacement therapy can play in reducing their symptoms.El análisis de las bases de datos disponibles relacionadas con VIH/SIDA confirma un cambio de paradigma en la esperanza de vida del pa-ciente: ahora el VIH se ha convertido en una enfermedad crónica, con la que los pacientes están envejeciendo. No obstante, este avance se acompaña de una contraparte negativa: debido al incremento en el número de años de vida ganados, se da una prevalencia de comorbilidades mayor a la de la población general y a una edad más temprana. Reducir el riesgo asociado a todas las comorbilidades que puede desarrollar el paciente con VIH/SIDA mientras envejece debe ser hoy en día un objetivo de salud, que se suma a los objetivos tradicionales que hasta ahora formaban parte de la estrategia para reducir el impacto de la infección por el VIH. En el caso específico de la mujer, además es necesario formar a las mujeres peri y postmenopáusi-cas para incrementar sus habilidades y su motivación para el cuidado de su salud; también es muy importante que se examine el rol que puede tener la terapia de reemplazo hormonal en la reducción de sus síntomas. Palabras clave: VIH, SIDA, Comorbilidad, Cronicidad, Envejeci-miento, Política sanitaria, Gestión clínicaEl presente trabajo ha sido editado por la Fundación Gaspar Casal, con ayuda del patrocinio de Gilead Sciences.S

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

HIV and aging: time to bridge the gap between clinical research and clinical care

In the short time frame of 30 years, HIV research has been able to modify AIDS from a rapidly progressive disease leading inevitably to death to a chronic condition. Even more, the health status of people living with HIV (PLWH) has significantly improved reducing the burden of symptoms and improving quality of life (QoL). After introduction of the UNAIDS agenda on the “90–90–90 targets”, it remains unclear what should be the next target in HIV care and research. The objective of this paper is to critically discuss potential new outcomes to be used as a measure of success in PLWH both in clinical and research settings. Methods To better portray potential outcomes, we will critically discuss epidemiological and clinical outcomes, patientreported outcomes (PRO), and public health outcomes reported in literature. These outcomes intersect with one another which may suggest contemporary use of different outcomes depending on goals we want to achieve. New outcomes should go beyond undetectability, be patient-centred, and similar to those in geriatric medicine and the general population. Conclusions HIV care can take advantage of experience from geriatric medicine and teach-back by describing aging trajectories in PLWH that may be accentuated in comparison to general population. However, we still need to improve tools to measure quality of life, PROs, and healthy aging. Healthy aging assessment will allow us to recognize unmet needs in PLWH and represents an integrated model between community, the person, and healthcare providers, wherein all stakeholders are linked, increasing possibilities for effective intervention

Chronicity, ageing and multimorbidity

Thanks to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV-related mortality has been drastically reduced and HIV infection has become a chronic disease. The HIV-infected population is ageing prematurely. Despite good immunovirological control, HIV causes chronic inflammation and accelerated immunosenes-cence. This clinically manifests as an increased prevalence of age-related comorbidity and frailty occurring earlier than in the general population. The heterogeneity of older HIV-infected adults highlights the rele-vance of identifying those who are at risk of poor health, and frailty may be an effective indicator. The rela-tionship between ageing, HIV infection, antiretroviral treatment, comorbidities and frailty still needs to be clarified. Elderly HIV-infected adults are complex patients who require a specific, global and multidisci-plinary approach.</p

An exploratory prospective study of the factors associated with adverse health outcomes in older adults living with HIV

Objective This study examines the clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with adverse health outcomes (falls, emergency room visits, hospital admissions and death) in a cohort of patients older than 55 years with HIV infection. Methods It is an exploratory prospective study with four years follow-up. People with HIV infection followed in the infectious diseases consultation unit of two hospitals in Madrid were included. Sociodemographic data and clinical variables were collected. The functional, mental, and social situations of the participants were assessed. Patient clinical histories were reviewed to gather data on the number of falls, visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions during the period studied. Results One hundred seventeen patients with a mean age of 61,4 (SD 6,6) years and a median follow-up of 47 months(35 to 50) were included. Of these subjects, 25% had depressive symptoms, and 10% had some degree of cognitive impairment at the baseline visit. The recorded frequencies were: falls 7,7%, visits to the emergency room 53%, hospital admission 33,3% and deaths 2,6%. Depressive symptoms were associated with falls and emergency room visits in the univariate analysis. The factors associated with hospital admission were having acquired the infection through intravenous drug use, frailty and being under 65 years of age. Multivariate analysis was conducted for the hospital admissions outcome, with the variables showing p < 0,07 in the univariate analysis, none of which reached statistical significance. Conclusions Depression screening and cognitive evaluation should be done systematically in this population group. More studies with more patients and longer follow-up times are necessary

Frailty, markers of immune activation and oxidative stress in HIV infected elderly.

People living with HIV-1 experience an accelerated aging due to the persistent and chronic activation of the immune system. This phenomenon conduces to immune exhaustion and precipitate immunosenescence. In general, frailty is defined as a syndrome of physiological degeneration in the elderly. Circulating naïve and memory T cells were studied by flow cytometry in non-frail and frail HIV-1-infected groups. Thymopoiesis, cell activation, senescence and cell proliferation were analyzed by CD31, HLA-DR/CD38, CD28/CD57 and Ki-67 expression, respectively. Plasma levels of sCD14 and MDA were measured by ELISA. Frail infected individuals showed a reduced number of memory T cells, both CD4+ and CD8+ populations. Activated CD3+CD4+HLA-DR+ T cells were lower in frail individuals, and directly correlated with CD3+CD8+HLA-DR+ and CD8M cells. Senescent CD8+CD28-CD57+ cells were reduced in frail HIV-1 infected individuals and inversely correlated with CD8RTE, CD8N and CD3+CD4+HLA-DR+. Higher plasma levels of sCD14 and MDA were found in HIV-1 infected frail individuals. Our data show association among frailty, markers of immune activation and oxidative stress. Understanding the immune mechanisms underlying frailty status in HIV-1 population is of high relevance not only for the prediction of continuing longevity but also for the identification of potential strategies for the elderly

Characterization of data-driven geriatric syndrome clusters in older people with HIV: a Mexican multicenter cross-sectional studyResearch in context

Summary: Background: As living with HIV has been proposed as a condition that may accelerate aging, the main objective of this work was to estimate the prevalence of geriatric syndromes (GS) among older Mexicans with HIV dwelling in the community. Secondly, to evaluate whether the accumulation of GS could be associated with an adverse HIV-related clinical profile, independent of chronological age. Methods: Multicenter, cross-sectional study including 501 community-dwelling people aged ≥50 years with HIV. The overall prevalence of nine selected GS and their cumulative number were estimated. An Age-Independent Cumulative Geriatric Syndromes scale (AICGSs) was constructed, and correlations between the AICGSs and HIV-related parameters assessed. Finally, k-mean clustering analyses were performed to test the secondary objective. Findings: Median age 56 (IQR: 53–61) years, 81.6% of men. Polypharmacy (74.8%), sensorial deficit (71.2%), cognitive impairment (53.6%), physical disability (41.9%), pre-frailty (27.9%), and falls (29.7%), were the more prevalent GS. A significant negative correlation was found between the AICGSs and normalized values of CD4+ nadir cell counts (r = −0.126; 95%: CI: −0.223 to −0.026, p < 0.05). Similarly, a significant inverse adjusted association between the CD4+ nadir cells and the AICGSs was observed on linear regression analysis (β −0.058; 95%: CI: −0.109 to −0.007, p = 0.03). Cluster analysis identified three differentiated groups varying by age, metabolic comorbidities, AICGSs, and HIV-related parameters. Interpretation: An elevated prevalence of GS was observed in the studied population. Moreover, the accumulation of GS was associated with adverse HIV-related profiles, independent of age. Thus, early detection and management of GS are crucial to promote healthier aging trajectories in people with HIV. Funding: This work was funded in part by the National Center for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS in Mexico (CENSIDA)—National Ministry of Health

Different profiles among older adults with HIV according to their chronological age and the year of HIV diagnosis: The FUNCFRAIL cohort study (GeSIDA 9817).

People in their fifties with HIV are considered older adults, but they appear not to be a homogeneous group. To evaluate the differences among older adults with HIV according to their chronological age and the year of HIV diagnosis. Cross-sectional study of the FUNCFRAIL cohort. Patients 50 or over with HIV were included and were stratified by both chronological age and the year of HIV diagnosis: before 1996 (long-term HIV survivors [LTHS]) and after 1996. We recorded sociodemographic data, HIV-related factors, comorbidities, frailty, physical function, other geriatric syndromes, and quality of life (QOL). We evaluated 801 patients. Of these, 24.7% were women, 47.0% were LTHS, and 14.7% were 65 or over. Of the 65 or over patients, 73% were diagnosed after 1996. Higher rates of comorbidities among LTHS were found, being the more prevalent: COPD, history of cancer, osteoarthritis, depression, and other psychiatric disorders while the more prevalent among the 65 or over patients were: hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, cancer, and osteoarthritis. LTHS showed a significantly worse QOL. There were no differences by the year of HIV diagnosis regarding frailty and functional impairment (SPPB A LTHS and a 65 or over person are both "older adults with HIV," but their characteristics and requirements differ markedly. It is mandatory to design specific approaches focused on the real needs of the different profiles