title: Association between dog guardianship and HIV clinical outcomes.
abstract: Despite numerous potential health outcomes of dog guardianship, their value has not been examined in the HIV-positive population. The study objective was to examine the relationship between dog guardianship and HIV clinical outcomes (antiretroviral adherence [>95% versus <95%], HIV viral load [> or =48 versus <48 copies/mL], and CD4 count) among HIV-positive individuals. The authors conducted a secondary analysis of baseline data of 370 HIV-positive men on antiretroviral regimen enrolled in the Duo Project. Generalized estimating equations were used for inferential regression analyses, while controlling for the focal dog guar- dianship variable and nonfocal covariates. Current dog guardianship was reported in 28.7% of participants. Dog guardianship may be associated with higher CD4 (coefficient = 60.6, P = .052) and adherence >95% (odds ratio [OR] = 1.80, P = .048); however, having a detectable viral load was not related to dog guardianship (OR = 0.94, P = .85). Further clinical research with detailed dog guardianship data is needed to further examine the association between dog guardianship and HIV clinical outcomes.
authors.forename: Parya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saberi
authors.forename: Torsten B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Neilands
authors.forename: Mallory O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004285:Dogs; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057805:Pets; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents