AEGiS-14IAC: Greater prevalence of anemia in women and Blacks with HIV/AIDS in the HAART era.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Greater prevalence of anemia in women and Blacks with HIV/AIDS in the HAART era.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. B10207)

Mildvan D, Creagh T; Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, United States

BACKGROUND: Data on anemia frequency among HIV/AIDS patients (pts) in the HAART era are sparse. This study describes anemia prevalence and associated risk factors among US pts receiving HAART.

METHODS: A survey of medical records with prospective hemoglobin (Hb) assessment of approximately 10,000 HIV/AIDS pts >18yrs, seen from 1999-2001, was conducted in multiple centers. Data included demographics, CD4+ cell count, and viral load (VL). Anemia was defined as Hb (g/dL): <12 for women, <13 for men; marked anemia: <10 for women, <11 for men. Statistical analyses examined independent risk factors of anemia including age, gender, race/ethnicity, CD4 and VL strata, and current medication. To control for multiple comparisons, statistical significance was set at p<.01.

RESULTS: A total of 9690 pts (23% women, 77% men) with a mean age of 41yrs were enrolled. Mean baseline characteristics were: Hb 13.9 g/dL, CD4+ 413 cells/mm³, and VL 46,580 copies/mL. HAART use was 76%. The overall prevalence of anemia (marked anemia) was 22%(5%): 32%(7%) women, 19%(4%) men, 33%(8%) Blacks, 18%(4%) Hispanics, and 13%(3%) Caucasians. Women had a 71% greater risk of anemia (p<.0001) and a 59% greater risk of marked anemia (p<.0001) than men. Blacks had a RR for anemia of 2.6 (p<.0001) and a RR of 2.8 (p<.0001) for marked anemia compared with Caucasians. The lowest CD4 stratum had the highest prevalence of anemia (marked anemia), i.e. 41%(12%) in CD4<200; this prevalence was 18%(3%) in CD4 200-499 and 11%(2%) in CD4>500. The RR of anemia in pts with CD4 <200 was 2.2 (p<.0001) when compared to pts with CD4 200-499 and 3.7 (p<.0001) when compared to pts with CD4 >500.

CONCLUSIONS: In this study of nearly 10,000 HIV/AIDS patients conducted in the HAART era, the overall prevalence of anemia and marked anemia was 22% and 5%, respectively . Female gender, Black ethnicity, and CD4<200 each demonstrated a strong association with anemia.

Keywords: AEGIS, Prevalence, Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, CD4 Lymphocyte Count, HIV Seropositivity, Anemia, Viral Load, Risk Factors, Antigens, CD4, CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Hemoglobins, Human, Female, Male, Epidemiology, immunology

020707
B10207