TY  - JOUR
T1  - USe of antiretroviral therapy by intravenous drug users with hiv
AU  - Mannheimer SB, Curtis JL, El-Sadr WM
Y1  - 1999/02/24
N1  - 10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-281-8-jbk0224
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 699
EP  - 701
VL  - 281
IS  - 8
N2  - 
To the Editor: Our experience in
Harlem with the antiretroviral treatment of HIV-infected IDUs is quite
different from that reported by Dr Celentano et al1 and by
Dr Strathdee et al.2 These authors report ART use among
51% and 40%, respectively, of HIV-infected IDUs surveyed. In
contrast, 78% (58/74) of HIV-infected IDUs under our care were found
to be receiving ART in a cross-sectional survey conducted in January
1998.3 Our patients participate in a unique program that we
developed for providing on-site HIV care at hospital-affiliated
methadone maintenance treatment centers. This program provides HIV
primary care administered by physicians trained in infectious disease
with extensive experience treating persons with HIV. Patients in this
program reflect the Harlem community, with 66% blacks, 31% Latinos,
and 38% women. A significant proportion of those receiving ART (64%
[37/58]) were receiving protease-containing regimens. Forty-one
percent (23/56) of patients receiving ART had undetectable HIV RNA
levels (<400 copies/mL). While no association was found between ART
use and age, sex, or race, there was a trend toward the persons
receiving ART having lower CD4-lymphocyte counts (P = .07).

SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-281-8-jbk0224
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-281-8-jbk0224
ER  -