Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40617368›Full record

ArticleAnnals of epidemiology2025

Recommendation on the use of viral load tests and exclusion of CD4 tests as proxies for HIV medical visits.

Qiang Xia, Mary K Irvine, Prima Manandhar-Sasaki, Daniel Bertolino, Faisal Abdelqader, Meghan Peterson, Denis Nash, Lucia V Torian

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In one paragraph

Article in Annals of epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Qiang XiaBureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA. Electronic address: qxia@health.nyc.gov.
Mary K IrvineBureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA.
Prima Manandhar-SasakiBureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA.
Daniel BertolinoBureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA.
Faisal AbdelqaderBureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA.
Meghan PetersonBureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA.
Denis NashInstitute for Implementation Science in Population Health, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Lucia V TorianBureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA.

Funding

Patient and Population Health Outcomes Research SWGP30AI124414 · NIAID · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, INC · PI Vinayaka R. Prasad · 2017 to 2026
$28.3M
NCHHSTP CDC HHS NU62PS924575NCHHSTP CDC HHS NU62PS924626NIAID NIH HHS P30 AI124414
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveMedical providers may order CD4 tests for people with HIV (PWH) without providing HIV care. We hypothesized that including CD4 tests as a proxy for HIV medical visits misclassifies PWH on linkage to, receipt of, and retention in care.

methodsWe used 2021 HIV surveillance data from New York City for analysis and compared 2 proxies for HIV medical visits-one included the presence of either CD4 or viral load tests and the other included viral load tests-to measure linkage to care among people newly diagnosed with HIV and receipt of and retention in care among PWH.

resultsIn New York City in 2021, 1146 of 1399 people newly diagnosed with HIV (81.9 %) had timely linkage to care when either CD4 or viral load tests were used as proxies; 1118 of 1399 (79.9 %) people newly diagnosed with HIV had timely linkage to care when only viral load tests were used. A total of 69 982 of 76 338 PWH (91.7 %) were classified as having received HIV care in New York City in 2021 when either CD4 or viral load tests were used; 69 088 of 76 388 PWH (90.5 %) were classified as having received HIV care when only viral load tests were used.

conclusionsIncluding CD4 tests as proxies for HIV medical visits misclassifies linkage to care among people newly diagnosed with HIV, and receipt of and retention in care among PWH. We recommend using viral load tests only as proxies to monitor progress toward goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Indexed as

HIV InfectionsViral LoadAdultCD4 Lymphocyte CountFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNew York CityRetention in CareAccess to careCD4HIVSurveillanceViral load

Identifiers

PMID40617368
PMCPMC12290990

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