BOSTON, July 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Users of
HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill to prevent HIV
infection, are more likely to use non-HIV-related primary care
services, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard
Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Harvard Medical
School, The Fenway Institute, and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
The new study, which was published in the American Journal of
Public Health, examined a group of nearly 6000 potential PrEP
candidates at Fenway Health, a Boston,
Massachusetts community health clinic. The investigators
found that PrEP users were more likely to receive influenza
vaccination, more likely to be screened for tobacco use and
depression, and more likely to receive glucose testing, which is
used for diabetes screening and monitoring.
Daily oral PrEP, using a combination of the antiretroviral
medications emtricitabine and tenofovir (Truvada), is highly
effective in preventing HIV infection. PrEP could provide a gateway
to other types of health care for people at risk of HIV infection,
just as family planning clinics provide a gateway to care for many
women. However, prior studies have not evaluated whether PrEP use
is associated with receiving routinely recommended primary
care.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify an
association between PrEP use and receipt of primary care," said
lead author Julia L. Marcus, PhD,
MPH, Assistant Professor of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health
Care Institute, and Adjunct Faculty at The Fenway Institute.
"Although this was a cross-sectional study, which limits our
ability to draw conclusions about causation, our results suggest
that the benefits of PrEP may extend to behavioral health, mental
health, and the prevention and treatment of other infectious and
chronic diseases."
Most PrEP users in the U.S. are gay and bisexual men, a
population that experiences a higher risk of mental health
conditions, substance use, and smoking. For this reason, PrEP users
stand to benefit from the increased opportunities for
non-HIV-related screening and treatment that are provided by the
PrEP care package.
"Our study suggests that PrEP users may be motivated to care for
their health in other ways," said senior author Kenneth H. Mayer, MD, of The Fenway Institute
and Harvard Medical School. "This
increased engagement in health care may be a reason for PrEP
initiation or may actually result from the experience of using
PrEP."
The study authors suggest that, in addition to efforts to
integrate PrEP prescribing into primary care, efforts may be
warranted to ensure uptake of recommended primary care among PrEP
users.
The paper, "HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis as a Gateway to Primary
Care," was published July 19 in
American Journal of Public Health (AJPH).
The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute's Department of
Population Medicine is a unique collaboration between Harvard
Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Medical
School. Created in 1992, it is the only appointing medical
school department in the United
States based in a health plan. The Institute focuses on
improving health care delivery and population health through
innovative research and teaching.
Since 1971, Fenway Health has been working to make life
healthier for the people in our neighborhood, the LGBT community,
people living with HIV/AIDS, and the broader population. The Fenway
Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for
research, training, education, and policy development focusing on
national and international health issues.
SOURCE Fenway Health