Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39557520›Full record

ArticleHIV medicine2025

Rising mortality among people who inject drugs living with HIV in Scotland, UK: A 20-year retrospective cohort study.

R Metcalfe, R Fraser, K M A Trayner, M Glancy, A Yeung, L Sills, T Ritchie, S Priyadarshi, S E Peters, A McAuley and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in HIV medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

R MetcalfeSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1897-6223
R FraserSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
K M A TraynerSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
M GlancySchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
A YeungSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
L SillsNHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Glasgow, UK.
T RitchieNHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Glasgow, UK.
S PriyadarshiNHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Glasgow, UK.
S E PetersNHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Glasgow, UK.
A McAuleySchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
S HutchinsonSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesOur aim was to examine mortality trends in the era of antiretroviral therapy, among people who inject drugs (PWID) who are living with HIV. The study objectives were to assess and quantify mortality among PWID diagnosed with HIV over time in Scotland, in the context of a recent outbreak of HIV and rise in drug-related mortality.

methodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of those diagnosed with HIV in Scotland between January 2000 and February 2020, with acquisition related to injecting drug use, linked to mortality data. Factors associated with all-cause mortality were examined using Cox proportional hazards regression.

resultsAmong 430 individuals with 3143 person-years (py) of follow-up, 88 (20.5%) died. Drug-related deaths accounted for 45.5% of all deaths, rising to 60% among those diagnosed in 2015-2020. The crude all-cause mortality was 28.00 per 1000 py overall and 37.62 per 1000 py within 5 years of diagnosis. Mortality risk was markedly higher among PWID diagnosed in 2015-2020 [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 3.53], relative to those diagnosed in 2000-2004. Among those diagnosed in 2015-2020 (as part of the HIV outbreak), the mortality risk was higher among those not on, compared with those on, opioid agonist therapy (aHR = 3.87).

conclusionMortality among PWID living with HIV in Scotland has risen substantially in the 21st century. Our findings highlight the important role of opioid-agonist therapy, alongside other prevention and treatment measures to address high levels of drug-related mortality for PWID living with HIV, including within HIV outbreaks in this population group.

Indexed as

HIV InfectionsSubstance Abuse, IntravenousAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsRetrospective StudiesScotlandYoung Adultdrug‐related deathHIVmortalitypeople who inject drugs

Identifiers

PMID39557520
PMCPMC11786617

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.