Open AccessRepeated Assessments of Food Security Predict CD4 Change in the Setting of Antiretroviral Therapy
Author(s) -
James McMahon,
Christine Wanke,
Julian Elliott,
Stuart Skinner,
Alice Tang
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.162
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1944-7884
pISSN - 1525-4135
DOI - 10.1097/qai.0b013e318227f8dd
Subject(s) - food security , antiretroviral therapy , food insecurity , medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , environmental health , viral load , immunology , biology , ecology , agriculture
Food insecurity is highly prevalent in HIV-infected populations, and analyses utilizing multiple assessments of food security to predict CD4 change are lacking. Five hundred Ninety-two patients with ≥ 4 food security assessments were followed prospectively. In the final model, for patients using antiretroviral therapy, increases in CD4 counts were on average 99.5 cells less for individuals with at least 1 episode of food insecurity compared with those consistently food secure (P < 0.001). Other sociodemographic factors were not predictive. Repeated assessments of food security are potent predictors of treatment response notwithstanding antiretroviral therapy use. Potential mechanisms for this association are proposed.