HIV-associated Wasting Highest in Medicaid Beneficiaries, Patients Requiring Hospitalization

The prevalence of wasting syndrome in US patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was just over 18% between 2012 and 2018 and was highest among Medicaid beneficiaries, according to study findings published online ahead of print in AIDS.

“Findings suggest HIV-associated wasting remains prevalent in people living with HIV,” researchers wrote.

Researchers investigated claims between July 2012 and September 2018 for patients with HIV in IBM MarketScan’s commercial, Medicare supplemental, and Medicaid databases. HIV-associated wasting was identified by proxy via claims for weight loss-related diagnoses, appetite stimulant/nontestosterone anabolic agents, or enteral/parenteral nutrition in the patient population.

Among the approximately 43,000 patients with HIV included in the analysis, the cumulative prevalence of HIV-associated wasting was 18.3%, or approximately 7800 patients, the study found.

The prevalence of wasting did not significantly differ with antiretroviral therapy status or race, researchers reported. HIV-associated wasting occurred most frequently among patients with Medicaid coverage and those hospitalized after their initial HIV diagnosis claim. Compared with a prevalence of 7.5% among patients with commercial or Medicare supplemental insurance, the rate of wasting among patients with Medicaid was 23.5%.

“Further research is needed to better understand additional factors associated with and contributing to HIV-associated wasting,” researchers wrote.

Reference:
Siddiqui J, Samuel SK, Hayward B, et al. HIV-associated wasting prevalence in the era of modern antiretroviral therapy: a claims database study (2012-2018) [published online ahead of print October 7, 2021]. AIDS. doi:10.1097/QAD.0000000000003096