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Antiretroviral prescribing patterns in the texas prison system
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
Annals of Epidemiology
|October 6, 2000
Summary
In 1998, many HIV-infected Texas prison inmates with low CD4 counts received no antiretroviral therapy or suboptimal treatment, deviating from recommended guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacotherapy
Background:
- Prison populations exhibit significantly higher rates of HIV infection.
- Limited data exists on HIV treatment patterns, specifically pharmacotherapy, within correctional facilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize antiretroviral prescribing patterns among HIV-infected inmates in the Texas prison system.
- To identify deviations from standard HIV treatment guidelines in correctional institutions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of medical data for 2,360 HIV-infected inmates in the Texas prison system in 1998.
- Inclusion of pharmacotherapy data, including highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).
- Logistic regression to assess the relationship between CD4 count and HAART treatment.
Main Results:
- 66.8% of HIV-infected inmates with CD4 counts below 500 received HAART.
- 31.1% of these inmates received no antiretroviral therapy.
- HAART treatment decreased as CD4 count categories decreased.
Conclusions:
- A significant number of HIV-infected inmates received suboptimal or no antiretroviral therapy.
- Prescribing patterns were inconsistent with established Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) guidelines.
- Further research is needed to understand the persistence and determinants of these treatment patterns.
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