Incidence of and risk factors for medical care interruption in people living with HIV in recent years

OBJECTIVES: With HIV treatment as a prevention strategy, retention in care remains a key for sustained viral suppression. We sought to identify HIV-infected patients at risk for medical care interruption (MCI) in a high-income country. METHODS: The HIV-infected patients enrolled had to attend the clinic at least twice between January 2010 and October 2014 and were followed up until May 2016. MCI was defined as patients not seeking care in or outside the clinic for at least 18 months, regardless of whether they returned to care after the interruption. The association between MCI and sociodemographic, clinical, and immuno-virological characteristics at HIV diagnosis and during follow-up was assessed using Cox models. RESULTS: The incidence rate of MCI was 2.5 per 100 persons-years (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.3–2.7). MCI was more likely in patients who accessed care >6 months after diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.10–1.54 vs. ≤6 months) or did not report a primary care physician (HR = 2.40; 95% CI = 2.03–2.84). MCI was less likely in patients born in sub-Saharan Africa (HR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.62–0.91 vs. born in France). During follow-up, the risk of MCI increased when the last CD4 count was ≤350 (HR = 2.85, 95% CI = 2.02–4.04 vs. >500 cells/mm(3)) and when the patient was not on antiretroviral therapy (HR = 3.67, 95% CI = 2.90–4.66). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of MCI is low in this hospital that serves a large proportion of migrants. Low or no recorded CD4 counts for a medical visit could alert of a higher risk of MCI, even more in patients who accessed HIV care late or did not report a primary care physician.