Poor adherence to HIV monitoring and treatment guidelines for HIV-infected injection drug users.

Objectives There is growing concern about access to HIV/AIDS care among injection drug users (IDUs). We examined rates of CD4 cell count monitoring and correlates among HIV-infected IDUs. Methods This prospective observational cohort study of 460 community-recruited HIV-infected IDUs was situated in a Canadian city where all medical care is provided free of charge. Over a median follow-up period of 76 months, we evaluated factors associated with CD4 cell count monitoring through a linkage with a centralized CD4 registry. Results Overall, <5% of IDUs had CD4 monitoring consistent with local therapeutic guidelines. In multivariate analyses, after adjustment for being on antiretroviral therapy [odds ratio (OR) 2.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.84–2.70, P<0.001] female gender (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.57–0.89, P=0.003), non-White ethnicity (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60–0.94, P=0.014), use of methadone maintenance therapy (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.42–1.94, P<0.001) and daily heroin use (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.61–0.85, P<0.001) were independently associated with CD4 monitoring. Conclusions Strategies to improve CD4 surveillance among IDUs are critically important, particularly for female and non-White IDUs. Expanded treatment for heroin dependence appears to have the greatest potential for improved care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]