title: Understanding racial disparities in HIV using data from the veterans aging cohort 3-site study and VA administrative data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We identified race-associated differences in survival among HIV-positive US veterans to examine possible etiologies for these differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used national administrative data to compare survival by race and used data from the Veterans Aging Cohort 3-Site Study (VACS 3) to compare patients' health status, clinical management, and adherence to medication by race.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nationally, minority veterans had higher mortality rates than did white veterans with HIV. Minority veterans had poorer health than white veterans with HIV. No significant differences were found in clinical management or adherence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HIV-positive minority veterans experience poorer survival than white veterans. This difference may derive from differences in comorbidities and in the severity of illness of HIV-related disease.
authors.affiliation: Veterans Aging Cohort Study Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McGinnis
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.forename: Ravi K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skanderson
authors.forename: Joseph H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Barradas
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rabeneck
authors.forename: Amy C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Justice
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000208:ethnology*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data