Vancouver, BC [August 6, 2015] A new study from the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) Collaboration, housed at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), finds the overall life expectancy of people living with HIV who have initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) is 65 years of age. Findings from the study demonstrate a notable improvement since the early years of the HIV epidemic, but life expectancy for those with HIV remains below that of the general Canadian population.
“An HIV diagnosis is no longer the death sentence it once was, but we must continue to be vigilant in ensuring treatment is reaching everyone, particularly more vulnerable groups such as injection drug users,” said Dr. Robert Hogg, Senior Scientist at the BC-CfE, and the Nominated Principal Investigator of the CANOC Collaboration.”We must be proactive and diligent in ensuring access to testing and treatment where it is most needed.”
In this study, decreased life expectancy was observed for women, participants with a history of injection drug use, individuals with Aboriginal ancestry, and those initiating ART in earlier time periods. The gender-based differences observed in this analysis reflect previous CANOC findings identifying poorer HIV-related treatment outcomes among women, compared to men.
This study also observed decreased life expectancy among participants initiating ART with CD4 counts lower than 350 cells/µl. This finding reinforces current BC-CfE treatment guidelines, which recommend that ART should be initiated for all people living with HIV regardless of CD4 count, to ensure the best long-term clinical response. Earlier this year, the landmark START (“Strategic Timing of AntiRetroviral Treatment”) study, a 35-country clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), released findings in support of early ART initiation.
Treatment as Prevention¨ (TasP¨) is the concept of starting treatment immediately after an HIV diagnosis in order to reduce viral load to undetectable levels – ensuring improved health of the patient and prevention of disease transmission. Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the BC-CfE, pioneered the TasP¨ concept and it has been implemented in British Columbia – resulting in a steady and consistent decline in new HIV cases within the province.
“In light of previous research, it is not surprising these findings show early treatment is best, but it is critical to emphasize this research,” said Dr. Montaner.”Early ART initiation not only improves the health of people living with HIV, it also reduces onward transmission of the disease. Policymakers should support programs based on this science and provide widespread access to testing and treatment across Canada.”
About the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) Collaboration
The Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) Collaboration is the largest Canadian clinical cohort of people living with HIV on combination ART. It is an ongoing study of over 10,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, across eight sites in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. It is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN242), and brings together a diverse research team to conduct policy-relevant studies in HIV therapeutics, health services and population health. In an effort to become more nationally representative, the CANOC Collaboration has recently expanded into the provinces of Saskatchewan and Newfoundland.