Prior history of testing for syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C among a population-based cohort of HIV-positive individuals and their HIV-negative controls

ABSTRACT

Understanding patterns of serological testing for hepatitis B & C, and syphilis among HIV-positive individuals, prior to HIV diagnosis, can inform HIV diagnosis, engagement and prevention strategies. This was a population-based, retrospective analysis of prior serological testing among HIV-positive individuals in Manitoba, Canada. HIV cases were age-, sex- and region-matched to HIV-negative controls at a 1:5 ratio. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine previous serological tests and HIV status. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were reported. A total of 193 cases and 965 controls were included. In the 5 years prior to diagnosis, 50% of cases had at least one test, compared to 26% of controls. Compared to those who did not have serological testing in the 5 years prior to HIV infection, those who had one serological test were at twice the odds of being HIV positive (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2–2.9), while those with 2 or more tests were at even higher odds (OR: 5.5, 95%CI: 3.7–8.4). HIV cases had higher serological testing rates. Interactions between public health and other healthcare providers should be strengthened.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• serology
• public health

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by an unrestricted research grant from Gilead. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. S.Y.S. is supported, in part, by doctoral awards from the Manitoba Health Research Council, David G. Fish Memorial Scholarship, the International Infectious Disease and Global Health Training Pro-gram, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.