Browsing by Author "Kariminia, Azar"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Achieving consistency in measures of HIV-1 viral suppression across countries: derivation of an adjustment based on international antiretroviral treatment cohort data
    (Wiley, 2021) Johnson, Leigh F.; Kariminia, Azar; Trickey, Adam; Yiannoutsos, Constantin T.; Ekouevi, Didier K.; Minga, Albert K.; Pascom, Ana Roberta Pati; Han, Win Min; Zhang, Lei; Althoff, Keri N.; Rebeiro, Peter F.; Murenzi, Gad; Ross, Jonathan; Hsiao, Nei-Yuan; Marsh, Kimberly; Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Introduction: The third of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 targets is to achieve a 90% rate of viral suppression (HIV viral load <1000 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml) in patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART) by 2020. However, some countries use different thresholds when reporting viral suppression, and there is thus a need for an adjustment to standardize estimates to the <1000 threshold. We aim to propose such an adjustment, to support consistent monitoring of progress towards the "third 90" target. Methods: We considered three possible distributions for viral loads in ART patients: Weibull, Pareto and reverse Weibull (imposing an upper limit but no lower limit on the log scale). The models were fitted to data on viral load distributions in ART patients in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) collaboration (representing seven global regions) and the ART Cohort Collaboration (representing Europe), using separate random effects models for adults and children. The models were validated using data from the World Health Organization (WHO) HIV drug resistance report and the Brazilian national ART programme. Results: Models were calibrated using 921,157 adult and 37,431 paediatric viral load measurements, over 2010-2019. The Pareto and reverse Weibull models provided the best fits to the data, but for all models, the "shape" parameters for the viral load distributions differed significantly between regions. The Weibull model performed best in the validation against the WHO drug resistance survey data, while the Pareto model produced uncertainty ranges that were too narrow, relative to the validation data. Based on these analyses, we recommend using the reverse Weibull model. For example, if a country reports an 80% rate of viral suppression at <200 copies/ml, this model estimates the proportion virally suppressed at <1000 copies/ml is 88.3% (0.800.56 ), with uncertainty range 85.5-90.6% (0.800.70 -0.800.44 ). Conclusions: Estimates of viral suppression can change substantially depending on the threshold used in defining viral suppression. It is, therefore, important that viral suppression rates are standardized to the same threshold for the purpose of assessing progress towards UNAIDS targets. We have proposed a simple adjustment that allows this, and this has been incorporated into UNAIDS modelling software.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Global estimates of viral suppression in children and adolescents and adults on antiretroviral therapy adjusted for missing viral load measurements: a multiregional, retrospective cohort study in 31 countries
    (Elsevier, 2021) Han, Win Min; Law, Matthew G.; Egger, Matthias; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; Moore, Richard; McGowan, Catherine; Kumarasamy, Nagalingesawaran; Desmonde, Sophie; Edmonds, Andrew; Davies, Mary-Ann; Yiannoutsos, Constantin; Althoff, Keri N.; Cortes, Claudia P.; Mohamed, Thahira Jamal; Jaquet, Antoine; Anastos, Kathryn; Euvrard, Jonathan; Castelnuovo, Barbara; Salters, Kate; Esteves Coelho, Lara; Ekouevi, Didier K.; Eley, Brian; Diero, Lameck; Zaniewski, Elizabeth; Ford, Nathan; Sohn, Annette H.; Kariminia, Azar; IeDEA collaboration; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: As countries move towards the UNAIDS's 95-95-95 targets and with strong evidence that undetectable equals untransmittable, it is increasingly important to assess whether those with HIV who are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) achieve viral suppression. We estimated the proportions of children and adolescents and adults with viral suppression at 1, 2, and 3 years after initiating ART. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, seven regional cohorts from the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium contributed data from individuals initiating ART between Jan 1, 2010, and Dec 31, 2019, at 148 sites in 31 countries with annual viral load monitoring. Only people with HIV who started ART after the time a site started routine viral load monitoring were included. Data up to March 31, 2020, were analysed. We estimated the proportions of children and adolescents (aged <18 years at ART initiation) and adults (aged ≥18 years at ART initiation) with viral suppression (viral load <1000 copies per mL) at 1, 2, and 3 years after ART initiation using an intention-to-treat approach and an adjusted approach that accounted for missing viral load measurements. Findings: 21 594 children and adolescents (11 812 [55%] female, 9782 [45%] male) from 106 sites in 22 countries and 255 662 adults (163 831 [64%] female, 91 831 [36%] male) from 143 sites in 30 countries were included. Using the intention-to-treat approach, the proportion of children and adolescents with viral suppression was 7303 (36%) of 20 478 at 1 year, 5709 (30%) of 19 135 at 2 years, and 4287 (24%) of 17 589 at 3 years after ART initiation; the proportion of adults with viral suppression was 106 541 (44%) of 240 600 at 1 year, 79 141 (36%) of 220 925 at 2 years, and 57 970 (29%) of 201 124 at 3 years after ART initiation. After adjusting for missing viral load measurements among those who transferred, were lost to follow-up, or who were in follow-up without viral load testing, the proportion of children and adolescents with viral suppression was 12 048 (64% [plausible range 43-81]) of 18 835 at 1 year, 10 796 (62% [41-77]) of 17 553 at 2 years, and 9177 (59% [38-91]) of 15 667 at 3 years after ART initiation; the proportion of adults with viral suppression was 176 964 (79% [53-80]) of 225 418 at 1 year, 145 552 (72% [48-79]) of 201 238 at 2 years, and 115 260 (65% [43-69]) of 178 458 at 3 years after ART initiation. Interpretation: Although adults with HIV are approaching the global target of 95% viral suppression, progress among children and adolescents is much slower. Substantial efforts are still needed to reach the viral suppression target for children and adolescents.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Global HIV mortality trends among children on antiretroviral treatment corrected for under‐reported deaths: an updated analysis of the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS collaboration
    (Wiley, 2021-09) Kassanjee, Reshma; Johnson, Leigh F.; Zaniewski, Elizabeth; Ballif, Marie; Christ, Benedikt; Yiannoutsos, Constantin T.; Nyakato, Patience; Desmonde, Sophie; Edmonds, Andrew; Sudjaritruk, Tavitiya; Pinto, Jorge; Vreeman, Rachel; Dahourou, Désiré Lucien; Twizere, Christelle; Kariminia, Azar; Carlucci, James G.; Kasozi, Charles; Davies, Mary-Ann; Biostatistics, School of Public Health
    Introduction: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) projections of paediatric HIV prevalence and deaths rely on the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium for mortality estimates among children living with HIV (CHIV) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Previous estimates, based on data through 2014, may no longer be accurate due to expanded paediatric HIV care and treatment eligibility, and the possibility of unreported deaths in CHIV considered lost to follow-up (LTFU). We therefore estimated all-cause mortality and its trends in CHIV (<15 years old) on ART using extended and new IeDEA data. Methods: We analysed (i) IeDEA observational data from CHIV in routine care globally, and (ii) novel data from an IeDEA tracing study that determined outcomes in a sample of CHIV after being LTFU in southern Africa. We included 45,711 CHIV on ART during 2004 to 2017 at 72 programmes in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. We used mixed effects Poisson regression to estimate mortality by age, sex, CD4 at ART start, time on ART, region and calendar year. For Africa, in an adjusted analysis that accounts for unreported deaths among those LTFU, we first modified the routine data by simulating mortality outcomes within six months after LTFU, based on a Gompertz survival model fitted to the tracing data (n = 221). Results: Observed mortality rates were 1.8 (95% CI: 1.7 to 1.9) and 9.4 (6.3 to 13.4) deaths per 100 person-years in the routine and tracing data, respectively. We found strong evidence of higher mortality at shorter ART durations, lower CD4 values, and in infancy. Averaging over covariate patterns, the adjusted mortality rate was 54% higher than the unadjusted rate. In unadjusted analyses, mortality reduced by an average 60% and 73% from 2005 to 2017, within and outside of Africa, respectively. In the adjusted analysis for Africa, this temporal reduction was 42%. Conclusions: Mortality rates among CHIV have decreased substantially over time. However, when accounting for worse outcomes among those LTFU, mortality estimates increased and temporal improvements were slightly reduced, suggesting caution in interpreting analyses based only on programme data. The improved and updated IeDEA estimates on mortality among CHIV on ART support UNAIDS efforts to accurately model global HIV statistics.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Growth and CD4 patterns of adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV worldwide, a CIPHER cohort collaboration analysis
    (Wiley, 2022) Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) Global Cohort Collaboration; Jesson, Julie; Crichton, Siobhan; Quartagno, Matteo; Yotebieng, Marcel; Abrams, Elaine J.; Chokephaibulkit, Kulkanya; Le Coeur, Sophie; Aké-Assi, Marie-Hélène; Patel, Kunjal; Pinto, Jorge; Paul, Mary; Vreeman, Rachel; Davies, Mary-Ann; Ben-Farhat, Jihane; Van Dyke, Russell; Judd, Ali; Mofenson, Lynne; Vicari, Marissa; Seage, George, III.; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Essajee, Shaffiq; Gibb, Diana; Penazzato, Martina; Collins, Intira Jeannie; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; Slogrove, Amy; Powis, Kate; Williams, Paige; Matshaba, Mogomotsi; Thahane, Lineo; Nyasulu, Phoebe; Lukhele, Bhekumusa; Mwita, Lumumba; Kekitiinwa-Rukyalekere, Adeodata; Wanless, Sebastian; Goetghebuer, Tessa; Thorne, Claire; Warszawski, Josiane; Galli, Luisa; van Rossum, Annemarie M.C.; Giaquinto, Carlo; Marczynska, Magdalena; Marques, Laura; Prata, Filipa; Ene, Luminita; Okhonskaya, Lyuba; Navarro, Marisa; Frick, Antoinette; Naver, Lars; Kahlert, Christian; Volokha, Alla; Chappell, Elizabeth; Pape, Jean William; Rouzier, Vanessa; Marcelin, Adias; Succi, Regina; Sohn, Annette H.; Kariminia, Azar; Edmonds, Andrew; Lelo, Patricia; Lyamuya, Rita; Ogalo, Edith Apondi; Odhiambo, Francesca Akoth; Haas, Andreas D.; Bolton, Carolyn; Muhairwe, Josephine; Tweya, Hannock; Sylla, Mariam; D'Almeida, Marceline; Renner, Lorna; Abzug, Mark J.; Oleske, James; Purswani, Murli; Teasdale, Chloe; Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, Harriet; Goodall, Ruth; Leroy, Valériane; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Adolescents living with HIV are subject to multiple co-morbidities, including growth retardation and immunodeficiency. We describe growth and CD4 evolution during adolescence using data from the Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) global project. Methods: Data were collected between 1994 and 2015 from 11 CIPHER networks worldwide. Adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV infection (APH) who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) before age 10 years, with at least one height or CD4 count measurement while aged 10-17 years, were included. Growth was measured using height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ, stunting if <-2 SD, WHO growth charts). Linear mixed-effects models were used to study the evolution of each outcome between ages 10 and 17. For growth, sex-specific models with fractional polynomials were used to model non-linear relationships for age at ART initiation, HAZ at age 10 and time, defined as current age from 10 to 17 years of age. Results: A total of 20,939 and 19,557 APH were included for the growth and CD4 analyses, respectively. Half were females, two-thirds lived in East and Southern Africa, and median age at ART initiation ranged from <3 years in North America and Europe to >7 years in sub-Saharan African regions. At age 10, stunting ranged from 6% in North America and Europe to 39% in the Asia-Pacific; 19% overall had CD4 counts <500 cells/mm3 . Across adolescence, higher HAZ was observed in females and among those in high-income countries. APH with stunting at age 10 and those with late ART initiation (after age 5) had the largest HAZ gains during adolescence, but these gains were insufficient to catch-up with non-stunted, early ART-treated adolescents. From age 10 to 16 years, mean CD4 counts declined from 768 to 607 cells/mm3 . This decline was observed across all regions, in males and females. Conclusions: Growth patterns during adolescence differed substantially by sex and region, while CD4 patterns were similar, with an observed CD4 decline that needs further investigation. Early diagnosis and timely initiation of treatment in early childhood to prevent growth retardation and immunodeficiency are critical to improving APH growth and CD4 outcomes by the time they reach adulthood.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Incidence of switching to second-line antiretroviral therapy and associated factors in children with HIV: an international cohort collaboration
    (Elsevier, 2019-02) Collins, Intira J.; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; Goodall, Ruth; Smith, Colette; Abrams, Elaine J.; Ben-Farhat, Jihane; Balkan, Suna; Davies, Mary-Ann; Edmonds, Andrew; Leroy, Valériane; Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, Harriet; Patel, Kunjal; Paul, Mary E.; Pinto, Jorge; Conejo, Pablo Rojo; Sohn, Annette; Van Dyke, Russell; Vreeman, Rachel; Maxwell, Nicky; Timmerman, Venessa; Duff, Charlotte; Judd, Ali; Seage, George, III; Williams, Paige; Gibb, Diana M.; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Mofenson, Lynne; Vicari, Marissa; Essajee, Shaffiq; Mohapi, Edith Q.; Kazembe, Peter N.; Hlatshwayo, Makhosazana; Lumumba, Mwita; Kekitiinwa-Rukyalekere, Adeodata; Wanless, Sebastian; Matshaba, Mogomotsi S.; Goetghebuer, Tessa; Thorne, Claire; Warszawski, Josiane; Galli, Luisa; Geelen, Sybil; Giaquinto, Carlo; Marczynska, Magdalena; Marques, Laura; Prata, Filipa; Ene, Luminita; Okhonskaia, Liubov; Noguera-Julian, Antoni; Naver, Lars; Rudin, Christoph; Jourdain, Gonzague; Volokha, Alla; Rouzier, Vanessa; Succi, Regina; Chokephaibulkit, Kulkanya; Kariminia, Azar; Yotebieng, Marcel; Lelo, Patricia; Lyamuya, Rita; Marete, Irene; Oyaro, Patrick; Boulle, Andrew; Malisita, Kennedy; Fatti, Geoffrey; Haas, Andreas D.; Desmonde, Sophie; Dicko, Fatoumata; Abzug, Mark J.; Levin, Myron; Oleske, James; Chernoff, Miriam; Traite, Shirley; Purswani, Murli; Teasdale, Chloe; Chadwick, Ellen; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background: Estimates of incidence of switching to second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) among children with HIV are necessary to inform the need for paediatric second-line formulations. We aimed to quantify the cumulative incidence of switching to second-line ART among children in an international cohort collaboration. Methods: In this international cohort collaboration study, we pooled individual patient-level data for children younger than 18 years who initiated ART (two or more nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors [NRTI] plus a non-NRTI [NNRTI] or boosted protease inhibitor) between 1993 and 2015 from 12 observational cohort networks in the Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) Global Cohort Collaboration. Patients who were reported to be horizontally infected with HIV and those who were enrolled in trials of treatment monitoring, switching, or interruption strategies were excluded. Switch to second-line ART was defined as change of one or more NRTI plus either change in drug class (NNRTI to protease inhibitor or vice versa) or protease inhibitor change, change from single to dual protease inhibitor, or addition of a new drug class. We used cumulative incidence curves to assess time to switching, and multivariable proportional hazards models to explore patient-level and cohort-level factors associated with switching, with death and loss to follow-up as competing risks. Findings: At the data cutoff of Sept 16, 2015, 182 747 children with HIV were included in the CIPHER dataset, of whom 93 351 were eligible, with 83 984 (90·0%) from sub-Saharan Africa. At ART initiation, the median patient age was 3·9 years (IQR 1·6-6·9) and 82 885 (88·8%) patients initiated NNRTI-based and 10 466 (11·2%) initiated protease inhibitor-based regimens. Median duration of follow-up after ART initiation was 26 months (IQR 9-52). 3883 (4·2%) patients switched to second-line ART after a median of 35 months (IQR 20-57) of ART. The cumulative incidence of switching at 3 years was 3·1% (95% CI 3·0-3·2), but this estimate varied widely depending on the cohort monitoring strategy, from 6·8% (6·5-7·2) in settings with routine monitoring of CD4 (CD4% or CD4 count) and viral load to 0·8% (0·6-1·0) in settings with clinical only monitoring. In multivariable analyses, patient-level factors associated with an increased likelihood of switching were male sex, older age at ART initiation, and initial NNRTI-based regimen (p<0·0001). Cohort-level factors that increased the likelihood of switching were higher-income country (p=0·0017) and routine or targeted monitoring of CD4 and viral load (p<0·0001), which was associated with a 166% increase in likelihood of switching compared with CD4 only monitoring (subdistributional hazard ratio 2·66, 95% CI 2·22-3·19). Interpretation: Our global paediatric analysis found wide variations in the incidence of switching to second-line ART across monitoring strategies. These findings suggest the scale-up of viral load monitoring would probably increase demand for paediatric second-line ART formulations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The IeDEA harmonist data toolkit: A data quality and data sharing solution for a global HIV research consortium
    (Elsevier, 2022) Lewis, Judith T.; Stephens, Jeremy; Musick, Beverly; Brown, Steven; Malateste, Karen; Ostinelli, Cam Ha Dao; Maxwell, Nicola; Jayathilake, Karu; Shi, Qiuhu; Brazier, Ellen; Kariminia, Azar; Hogan, Brenna; Duda, Stephany N.; Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    We describe the design, implementation, and impact of a data harmonization, data quality checking, and dynamic report generation application in an international observational HIV research network. The IeDEA Harmonist Data Toolkit is a web-based application written in the open source programming language R, employs the R/Shiny and RMarkdown packages, and leverages the REDCap data collection platform for data model definition and user authentication. The Toolkit performs data quality checks on uploaded datasets, checks for conformance with the network's common data model, displays the results both interactively and in downloadable reports, and stores approved datasets in secure cloud storage for retrieval by the requesting investigator. Including stakeholders and users in the design process was key to the successful adoption of the application. A survey of regional data managers as well as initial usage metrics indicate that the Toolkit saves time and results in improved data quality, with a 61% mean reduction in the number of error records in a dataset. The generalized application design allows the Toolkit to be easily adapted to other research networks.