Reflecting on governance for CMAJ.
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Advisory Committees↗
Biomedical subjects
Martin T Schechter
Publications and source records attributed to Martin T Schechter.
Elevated rates of HIV infection among young Aboriginal injection drug users in a Canadian setting.
OBJECTIVES: Recent reports have suggested that Aboriginal and American Indian people are at elevated risk of HIV infection. We undertook the present study to compare socio-demographic and risk variables between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal young (aged 13 - 24 years) injection drug users (IDUs) and characterize the burden of HIV infection among young Aboriginal IDUs. METHODS: We compared socio-demographic and risk variables between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal young IDUs. Data were collected through the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS). Semi-annually, participants have completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire and have undergone serologic testing for HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV). RESULTS: To date over 1500 Vancouver IDU have been enrolled and followed, among whom 291 were aged 24 years and younger. Of the 291 young injectors, 80 (27%) were Aboriginal. In comparison to non-Aboriginal youth, Aboriginal youth were more likely to test seropositive for either HIV (20% vs 7%, p=< 0.001) or Hepatitis C virus (HCV) (66% vs 38%, p =< 0.001), be involved in sex work and live in the city's IDU epi-centre at baseline. After 48 months of follow-up, Aboriginal youth experienced significantly higher HIV seroconversion rates than non-Aboriginal youth, 27.8 per ppy (95% CI: 13.4-42.2) vs. 7.0 per ppy (95% CI: 2.3-11.8) respectively (log-rank p = 0.005) and the incidence density over the entire follow-up period was 12.6 per 100 pyrs (CI: 6.49-21.96) and 3.9 per 100 pyrs (CI: 1.8-7.3) respectively. INTERPRETATION: These findings demonstrate that culturally relevant, evidence based prevention programs are urgently required to prevent HIV infection among Aboriginal youth.
Journal Article↗
Hepatitis C coinfection is independently associated with decreased adherence to antiretroviral therapy in a population-based HIV cohort.
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the impact of hepatitis C (HCV) serostatus on adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) among HIV-infected adults initiating ART. METHODS: The British Columbia HIV/AIDS Drug Treatment Program distributes, at no cost, all ART in this Canadian province. Eligible individuals used triple combination ART as their first HIV therapy and had documented HCV serology. Statistical analyses used parametric and non-parametric methods, including multivariate logistic regression. The primary outcome was > or = 95% adherence, defined as receiving > or = 95% of prescription refills during the first year of antiretroviral therapy. RESULTS: There were 1186 patients eligible for analysis, including 606 (51%) positive for HCV antibody and 580 (49%) who were negative. In adjusted analyses, adherence was independently associated with HCV seropositivity [adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 0.48; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.23-0.97; P = 0.003], higher plasma albumin levels (AOR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.12; P = 0.002) and male gender (AOR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.04-6.15; P = 0.017), but not with injection drug use (IDU), age or other markers of liver injury. There was no evidence of an interaction between HCV and liver injury in adjusted analyses; comparing different strata of HCV and IDU confirmed that HCV was associated with poor adherence independent of IDU. CONCLUSIONS: HCV-coinfected individuals and those with lower albumin are less likely to be adherent to their ART.
Adult↗
Binge drug use independently predicts HIV seroconversion among injection drug users: implications for public health strategies.
Several studies have highlighted risk factors that cause HIV vulnerability among injection drug users (IDUs); these studies in turn have prompted public health officials to take action to minimize these risks. We sought to evaluate the potential association between binge drug use and HIV seroconversion and, subsequently, risk factors associated with binge drug use among a cohort of IDUs. To do this, we performed analyses of (1) associations with HIV seroconversion and (2) associations with binge drug use among participants enrolled in the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS), a prospective cohort of IDU. Because serial measures for each individual were available, we undertook a time-updated Cox regression analysis to detect associations with HIV incidence and variables potentially associated with binge drug use were evaluated by using generalized estimating equations (GEE). Overall, 1548 IDU were enrolled into the VIDUS cohort between May 1996 and May 2003. There were 1013 individuals who were HIV seronegative at enrollment and had at least one follow-up visit; 125 (12%) became HIV positive during the study period for a cumulative incidence rate of 14% at 64 months after enrollment. In the final multivariate model, binge drug use [Adjusted Hazards Ratio: 1.61 (CI: 1.12, 2.31)] was independently associated with HIV seroconversion. In subanalyses, when we evaluated associations with binge drug use in GEE analyses, borrowing [Odds Ratio (OR): 153 (CI: 1.33-1.76)] and lending [OR: 1.73 (CI: 1.50-1.98)] syringes, sex trade work [OR: 1.14 (CI: 1.01-1.29)], frequent cocaine [OR: 2.34 (CI: 2.11-2.60)] and heroin [OR: 1.29 (CI: 1.17-1.43)] injection were independently associated with binge drug use and methadone [OR: 0.80 (CI: 0.71-0.89)] was protective against binge drug use. Our study identified an independent association between binge drug use and HIV incidence and demonstrated several high-risk drug practices associated with bingeing. Given the unaddressed public health risks associated with bingeing, a public health response protocol must be developed to minimize the personal and public health risks associated with the binge use of drugs.
British Columbia↗
Sexual violence among two populations of men at high risk of HIV infection.
This study sought to compare the prevalence of, and relationship between, age at first experience of sexual violence and HIV and other health risk behaviors in two populations of men at high risk of HIV infection. Data were drawn from two cohorts: Vanguard, a prospective study of young men who have sex with men (MSM), and VIDUS, the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study. Controlling for fixed sociodemographics, multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between age at first sexual violence (vs. never experiencing it) and several health risk behaviors. There were 140/498 (28%) MSM from Vanguard and 173/932 (19%) injection drug users (IDU) from VIDUS who reported having experienced sexual violence. Among VIDUS men, 130/852 (15%) IDU-only and 43/80 (54%) who were both IDU and MSM reported a history of sexual violence. The prevalence of child sexual abuse was 13% in Vanguard MSM, and 11% among VIDUS IDU-only, but 26% among VIDUS MSM/IDU. The median age of onset was significantly lower among VIDUS IDU-only compared to the two other groups. Experiencing sexual violence first in childhood was strongly related to ever being in the sex trade in both IDU and MSM. MSM in Vanguard who experienced sexual violence in childhood were more likely to have attempted suicide, and have a diagnosed mood disorder. Non-MSM IDU in VIDUS who experienced sexual violence in childhood were more likely to have a diagnosed mental illness, to binge on alcohol, and to have ever accidentally overdosed. In conclusion, men who have ever had sex with men appear to have a higher lifetime prevalence of sexual violence, compared to non-MSM injection drug users. Sexual violence is differentially associated with different health risk behaviors, depending on the age at first occurrence and the primary HIV risk factor (i.e. MSM vs. IDU).
Adolescent↗
Sustained increase in HIV-1 incidence since 2000 among men who have sex with men in British Columbia, Canada.
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British Columbia↗
Time on wait lists for coronary bypass surgery in British Columbia, Canada, 1991-2000.
BACKGROUND: In British Columbia, Canada, all necessary medical services are funded publicly. Concerned with growing wait lists in the mid-1990s, the provincial government started providing extra funding for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) operations annually. Although aimed at improving access, it is not known whether supplementary funding changed the time that patients spent on wait lists for CABG. We sought to determine whether the period of registration on wait lists had an effect on time to isolated CABG and whether the period effect was similar across priority groups. METHODS: Using records from a population-based registry, we studied the wait-list time before and after supplementary funding became available. We compared the number of weeks from registration to surgery for equal proportions of patients in synthetic cohorts defined by five registration periods in the 1990s. RESULTS: Overall, 9,231 patients spent a total of 137,126 person-weeks on the wait lists. The time to surgery increased by the middle of the decade, and decreased toward the end of the decade. Relative to the 1991-92 registration period, the conditional weekly probabilities of undergoing surgery were 30% lower among patients registered on the wait lists in 1995-96, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.70 (0.65-0.76), and 23% lower in 1997-98 patients, HR = 0.77 (0.71-0.83), while there were no differences with 1999-2000 patients, HR = 0.94 (0.88-1.02), after adjusting for priority group at registration, comorbidity, age and sex. We found that the effect of registration period was different across priority groups. CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence that time to CABG shortened after supplementary funding was provided on an annual basis to tertiary care hospitals within a single publicly funded health system. One plausible explanation is that these hospitals had capacity to increase the number of operations. At the same time, the effect was not uniform across priority groups indicating that changes in clinical practice should be considered when adding extra funding to reduce wait lists.
Aged↗
Sexual risk behaviour of Canadian participants in the first efficacy trial of a preventive HIV-1 vaccine.
BACKGROUND: Phase I and phase II HIV-1 vaccine trials have revealed increases in risky sexual activity among study subjects during the trials, perhaps because the subjects believe that the vaccine being tested is efficacious; subjects may thus suffer harm from their participation. We evaluated the sexual behaviour of Canadian men who have sex with men (MSM) who participated in the phase III Vax004 trial of an HIV-1 vaccine. METHODS: Using self-reports of sexual behaviours during the 6 months before trial entry as a baseline, we determined changes in reported sexual behaviour after 6, 12 and 18 months of participation in the trial. RESULTS: Of 291 HIV-seronegative MSM enrolled from July to October 1999, 260 (89%) completed 18 months of follow-up, 19 (7%) experienced seroconversion, and 12 (4%) did not complete follow-up. Unprotected receptive anal intercourse during the previous 6 months with partners whose HIV-1 serostatus was positive or unknown was reported by 21% of men at enrollment and by 27% at any point during 18 months of follow-up. No increase in this behaviour from baseline was reported by participants, including among men who were motivated to enroll because of expected protection from HIV-1 infection, men who believed they had received the vaccine, men who believed that the vaccine had greater than 50% efficacy, or men who believed that they had received the vaccine and that vaccine efficacy was greater than 50%. INTERPRETATION: MSM can be successfully enrolled in HIV-1 vaccine efficacy trials without evident increases in those sexual behaviours most associated with HIV-1 risk.
AIDS Vaccines↗
Incarceration, addiction and harm reduction: inmates experience injecting drugs in prison.
Within Canadian prisons HIV/AIDS is becoming more common among inmates. While injection drug use in correctional facilities is documented to be a problem, qualitative research into the HIV risks faced by inmates is lacking. The goal of this research was to qualitatively examine HIV risk associated with injecting inside British Columbia prisons. A sample of 26 former male inmates who had recently used drugs within correctional facilities were recruited from a ongoing cohort study of injection drug users in Vancouver, Canada. Data for this study were collected through in-depth interviews conducted in 2001/2002. Analysis of these data involved identifying emergent themes and then exploring these central concepts in further interviews to confirm the accuracy of interpretation. The harms normally associated with drug addiction, and injection drug use are exacerbated in prison. Interpersonal relationships and the possession of exchangeable resources determine access to scarce syringes. The scarcity of syringes has resulted in patterns of sharing amongst large numbers of persons. Continual reuse of scarce syringes poses serious health hazards and bleach distribution is an inadequate solution. The findings of this study emphasize the need for effective harm reduction programs that provide an appropriate response to the problem of injection drug use among inmates.
Anecdotes as Topic↗
Sociodemographic disparities in access to addiction treatment among a cohort of Vancouver injection drug users.
Vancouver's explosive HIV epidemic among injection drug users (IDUs) has received international attention due to the presence of a large needle exchange program. The role of addiction treatment has not been evaluated in this setting. We evaluated factors associated with use of addiction treatment among a prospective cohort of Vancouver IDUs. Addiction treatment was negatively associated with Aboriginal ethnicity and unstable housing, both of which have been associated with HIV infection in previous studies. These findings demonstrate low levels of addiction treatment among Vancouver IDUs and suggest that programs may need to be targeted towards specific populations with poor access.
Adult↗
The birth of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
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Academies and Institutes↗
Unstable housing, associated risk behaviour, and increased risk for HIV infection among injection drug users.
We sought to examine the relationship between housing status and risk of HIV-infection among injection drug users in Vancouver, Canada. Using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, we found an elevated HIV incidence rate among those who reported residing in unstable housing (log-rank p=0.006). In Cox's regression survival analysis, unstable housing remained marginally associated with elevated risks of HIV infection (relative hazard=1.40 (95% confidence interval: 0.09-2.00); p=0.084) after adjustment for potential confounders including syringe sharing. Adjusted generalized estimating equations analysis that examined factors associated with unstable housing demonstrated that residing in unstable housing was independently associated with several HIV risk behaviours including borrowing used needles (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.14) and sex-trade involvement (adjusted OR=1.19). Our findings suggest that unstable housing environments are associated with elevated risk of HIV- infection due to risk behaviours that take place in these environments. Implications for policy including more comprehensive housing interventions (e.g. 'floating support') are discussed.
British Columbia↗
Baseline self-perceived risk of HIV infection independently predicts the rate of HIV seroconversion in a prospective cohort of injection drug users.
BACKGROUND: The identification of individuals at the highest risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is critical for targeting prevention strategies. We evaluated self-perceived risk of HIV infection and rates of subsequent HIV seroconversion among a prospective cohort study of injection drug users (IDUs). METHODS: We performed an analysis of the time to HIV infection among 994 baseline HIV negative IDUs enrolled in the Vancouver injection drug users study (VIDUS). IDUs were stratified based on their baseline self-perceived risk of HIV seroconversion (higher than others vs same or lower). Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate cumulative HIV incidence rates and Cox regression was used to determine adjusted relative hazards for HIV seroconversion. RESULTS: At the end of 24 months after enrolment into the cohort, the cumulative HIV incidence rate was significantly elevated among the 5.9% of the sample who perceived their risk for HIV infection to be higher at baseline (26.6% vs 7.8% log-rank P < 0.001). In a Cox model that adjusted for all variables that were associated with the time to HIV infection in univariate analyses, a higher baseline self-perceived risk of acquiring HIV infection (relative hazard RH: 2.48 [95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.51, 4.10]; P = 0.004) remained independently associated with time to HIV seroconversion. CONCLUSIONS: IDUs' perception of their risk for HIV seroconversion upon enrolment into a prospective cohort study was strongly and independently associated with the subsequent rate of HIV seroconversion. Since this risk marker remained independently associated with HIV seroconversion, even after adjustment for time-updated risk behaviours, our findings have major implications that may aid outreach workers in their efforts to identify IDUs who should be targeted with prevention efforts.
Adult↗
Staging for antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected drug users.
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Adult↗
The future face of coinfection: prevalence and incidence of HIV and hepatitis C virus coinfection among young injection drug users.
The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and incidence of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection among young (aged 29 years or younger) injection drug users (IDUs) and to compare sociodemographic and risk characteristics between (HIV/HCV) coinfected, monoinfected, or HIV- and HCV-negative youth. Data were collected through the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS). To date, more than 1400 IDUs have been enrolled and followed, of whom 479 were aged 29 years or younger. Semiannually, participants have completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire and have undergone serologic testing for HIV and HCV. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were undertaken to investigate predictors of baseline coinfection. Cox regression models with time-dependent covariates were used to identify predictors of time to secondary infection seroconversion. A Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to determine risk associations across 3 categories: no infection, monoinfection, and coinfection. Of the 479 young injectors, 78 (16%) were coinfected with HIV and HCV at baseline and a further 45 (15%) with follow-up data became coinfected during the study period. Baseline coinfection was independently associated with being female, being aboriginal, older age, greater number of years injecting, and living in the IDU epicenter. Factors independently associated with time to secondary infection seroconversion were borrowing needles and greater than once-daily cocaine injection, and accessing methadone maintenance therapy in the previous 6 months was protective. There were clear trends across the 3 categories for increasing proportions of female subjects, aboriginal subjects, older age, greater number of years injecting, living in the IDU epicenter, and daily cocaine use. There were a shocking number of youth living with coinfection, particularly female and aboriginal youth. The median number of years injecting for youth seroconverting to a secondary infection was 3 years, suggesting that appropriate public health interventions should be implemented immediately.
Adolescent↗
Inability to access addiction treatment and risk of HIV infection among injection drug users.
It was recently found that 94% of the nearly $500 million allocated annually to Canada's illicit drug strategy has been spent on enforcement-based interventions. As a result, lack of funds for addiction treatment has meant demand for substance abuse treatment among illicit drug users has exceeded availability. This study evaluated whether injection drug users (IDUs) who reported being unable to access addiction treatment were at elevated risk of HIV infection. A prospective analysis was done of factors associated with syringe borrowing by baseline HIV-negative IDUs among participants enrolled in the Vancouver Injecting Drug Users Study (VIDUS). Since serial measures for each individual were available, variables potentially associated with syringe borrowing were evaluated using generalized estimating equations (GEEs) with logit link for binary outcomes. Overall, 1157 HIV-negative IDUs were enrolled into the VIDUS cohort between May 1996 and May 2002. Unsuccessful attempts to access addiction treatment were associated with reporting syringe borrowing during follow-up in both univariate (odds ratio 1.72; 95% CI 1.47-2.00; P<0.001) and in multivariate GEE analyses (adjusted odds ratio 1.29; 95% CI 1.09-1.53; P=0.003). Inability to access addiction treatment was independently associated with syringe borrowing among HIV-negative IDUs at risk for HIV infection. These findings suggest that the limited provision of addiction treatment may result in a major missed opportunity to reduce HIV transmission behavior among IDUs and that the expansion of addiction treatment services has major potential to reduce the substantial human and fiscal costs of HIV infection.
British Columbia↗
Displacement of Canada's largest public illicit drug market in response to a police crackdown.
BACKGROUND: Law enforcement is often used in an effort to reduce the social, community and health-related harms of illicit drug use by injection drug users (IDUs). There are, however, few data on the benefits of such enforcement or on the potential harms. A large-scale police "crackdown" to control illicit drug use in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside provided us with an opportunity to evaluate the effect. METHODS: As part of our ongoing prospective cohort study of IDUs in Vancouver, we examined data collected from 244 IDUs in the 3 months before the police crackdown and from 142 IDUs in the 3 months after the start of the crackdown, on Apr. 7, 2003. All study subjects were active drug users. We also examined external data on needle exchanges and syringe disposal. RESULTS: The 2 groups of IDUs were statistically similar: they were mainly young (mean age 39 years) and male (63%), and they had injected illicit drugs for 13 years on average. Ethnic background and the proportion homeless were also similar. There were no statistically significant reported differences (all p > 0.1) in the street price of heroin, cocaine or "crack" in the 2 periods. In the 3-month periods before and after the crackdown, respectively, the rates of daily heroin injection were 27.9% and 26.8%, daily cocaine injection 28.7% and 27.5%, and daily crack use 59.4% and 60.6% (all p > 0.1). The proportions of study subjects receiving methadone treatment, 41.0% and 44.4% (p = 0.516), did not differ. However, the proportions reporting a change in where drugs were used, 22.5% and 33.8% (p < 0.05), and the proportions reporting a change in the neighbourhood of use because of police presence, 18.1% and 26.8% (p < 0.05), increased significantly. Needle-exchange data confirmed that the community levels of drug use were unchanged. Disposal statistics demonstrated that the monthly average number of used syringes found on the streets outside the traditional area of drug use increased from 784 in the 3 months before Apr. 1 to 1253 in the subsequent 3 months (p = 0.002) and the monthly average number of used syringes found in public boxes for the safe disposal of syringes decreased from 865 to 502 (p = 0.018). INTERPRETATION: The effort to control illicit drug use did not alter the price of drugs or the frequency of use, nor did it encourage enrollment in methadone treatment programs. Several measures indicated displacement of injection drug use from the area of the crackdown into adjacent areas of the city, which has implications for both recruitment of new initiates into injection drug use and HIV prevention efforts.
Adult↗
HIV-positive injection drug users who leave the hospital against medical advice: the mitigating role of methadone and social support.
BACKGROUND: Leaving the hospital against medical advice has been associated with increased morbidity and readmission. Factors associated with the risk of leaving against medical advice among HIV/AIDS patients or injection drug users have not been examined in detail. OBJECTIVES: To examine the clinical and social factors associated with leaving against medical advice (AMA) from a specialized HIV/AIDS ward among patients who reported a history of injection drug use. METHODS: All patients with a history of injection drug use admitted to the HIV/AIDS ward at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia (the largest specialized HIV/AIDS hospital ward in Canada) between April 1997 and October 2000 were reviewed retrospectively. A multivariate logistic regression model utilizing a generalized estimating equation algorithm identified factors associated with leaving the hospital AMA. RESULTS: Of the 1056 hospital admissions to the HIV/AIDS ward by patients with a history of injection drug use, 263 (24.9%) resulted in leaving the hospital AMA. Independent positive predictors of leaving AMA included recent injection drug use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.41-3.07) and aboriginal ethnicity (AOR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.05-2.28). Discharge AMA was also more likely to occur on weekends (AOR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.49-3.48) and on days when social assistance payments were issued (AOR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.70-5.10). Factors that independently reduced the odds of hospital discharge AMA included in-hospital methadone use (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.32-0.76), social support (AOR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.21-0.51), and older age (per 10-year increment, AOR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.43-0.73). CONCLUSIONS: Among HIV-positive patients with a history of injection drug use, the odds of leaving the hospital AMA were reduced for subjects who received inpatient methadone treatment, were of older age, or had social supports. Addiction treatment and interventions that enhance social supports in marginalized populations at risk for hospital discharge AMA should be further explored.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗