Risk factors in an HIV-infected population for refraining from specialist care

Abstract

Missing outpatient clinic appointments were associated with available clinical characteristics. Nonattendance may be prevented by sending routine SMS reminders prior to the next appointment.

HIV outcomes among migrants from low-income and middle-income countries living in high-income countries: a review of recent evidence

“…In Europe, migrant PLWH tend to fare worse than native-born persons. In the Netherlands, African migrants were nearly three times as likely to not attend clinic visits as Dutch natives [60]. Despite having access to medical insurance, undocumented migrants with HIV infection in Italy were eight times more likely to be lost to follow-up than persons born in Italy [61].…”

Birth Country Influences the Choice of Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-Infected Individuals: Experience From a French HIV Centre

“…Many studies have reported that migrants living with HIV frequently have poor HIV clinical outcomes in comparison with native-born persons. 8 These outcomes included higher frequency of AIDS status and lower CD4 T-cell count at entry into HIV care [9][10][11][12][13] and higher risk of loss to follow-up (LFU), [14][15][16][17] poor ART adherence, and a high risk of virologic failure once in care. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] These poor results could be mainly because of socio-economic barriers, including difficulties with administrative procedures, finding a job and housing, and difficulties in understanding the health care system.…”

Disparities in access to and use of HIV-related health services in the Netherlands by migrant status and sexual orientation: a cross-sectional study among people recently diagnosed with HIV infection

“…HIV-positive people originating from South-East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Surinam, the Caribbean or Latin America were more likely to enter clinical care with late-stage infection (clinical AIDS event or a CD4-count < 350 cells/mm 3 ) or an advanced HIV infection (AIDS or CD4-count < 200 cells/mm 3 ) than those of Dutch origin [5]. In the Netherlands, migrants are also more likely to have higher rates of lost to follow-up from HIV care [6], a longer time to virological suppression after combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation, and higher risk of treatment failure [4] than those of Dutch origin. These data are in line with findings across the European Union/Economic Area [3] and suggest migrants face barriers in accessing and utilizing HIV health services.…”