Antiretroviral prescribing patterns in the Texas prison system

Although the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among prison inmates is reported to be high, little is known about anti-HIV treatment patterns in correctional institutions. The present study assessed antiretroviral prescribing patterns for 2360 Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) inmates infected with HIV. In 1998, 66.8% of all TDCJ inmates infected with HIV who had CD4 lymphocyte counts < 500 cells/mm(3) were treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). However, no substantial differences in the use of HAART were exhibited according to the sociodemographic factors under study. While the majority of inmates receiving HAART in 1998 were prescribed a combination of 2 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and 1 protease inhibitor, 11.2% were prescribed a combination of 2 NRTIs and 1 non-NRTI. In view of the elevated rate of HIV infection in correctional settings, it will be important to continue to document the pharmacotherapy patterns among prison inmates, both during and following incarceration.