title: Prognostic factors for survival differ according to CD4+ cell count among HIV-infected injection drug users: pre-HAART and HAART eras.
abstract: To identify prognostic indicators of survival at different CD4 cell levels, independent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), among injection drug users (IDUs). A community-recruited cohort of injection drug users followed semiannually from 1988 through 2000. Five partially overlapping subcohorts were defined by when participants first reached a CD4 cell level of 351 to 500, 201 to 350, 101 to 200, 51 to 100, or </=50 cells/microL. Prognostic factors were measured at entry into each category. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates for HIV-related death and Cox regression models were constructed by CD4 category. Among the 1030 HIV-infected IDUs, survival improved in the HAART-era with hazard ratios 0.42, 0.36, 0.24, 0.21, and 0.25, respectively, for CD4 cell groups of 500 to 351, 350 to 201, 200 to 101, 100 to 51, and </=50 cells/microL. Shorter survival was associated with prior hospitalization, AIDS, and sexually transmitted disease, with similar effects in the pre-HAART and HAART eras. For the lowest CD4 cell level, prior sepsis or endocarditis, outpatient/emergency room visits, and alcohol use provide additional prognostic value. Survival among HIV-infected IDUs improved since the introduction of HAART, even though utilization of HAART was incomplete. Clinical and behavioral variables provided prognostic information about survival, including substance use indicators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. ngalai@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Noya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Galai
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vlahov
authors.forename: Joseph C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bareta
authors.forename: Cunlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.forename: Timothy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Sterling
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*; D015996:Survival Rate