Abstract Background More than half of people living with HIV in the United States are 50 years of age or older. Understanding how best to assess and address conditions associated with aging in HIV primary care is important for this population. Methods We trained clinicians in an academic HIV clinic to assess and address the 4F’s (polypharmacy, Falls, and Fragility Fractures) in their patients aging with HIV (PAH). We share results of this screening as well as key knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) from the pre-test assessment of our clinician champions. Results 126 patients 50+ years of age were enrolled. The mean age is 63±6 years. 49% were assigned female at birth and 1% are transwomen. 48% identify as Black, 48% White, and 14% Hispanic. 30% smoke tobacco, and 30% report ongoing marijuana use. Patients take 10±5 medications; 25% have hyperpolypharmacy ( >15 medications), and 66% are on potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). At least a quarter of patients have peripheral neuropathy: 25% have decreased sensation on the plantar surface of either foot; 35% have decreased vibratory sense on the right great toe,37% on the left. 42% reported a fall/near-fall in the past year; 10% experienced a serious fall leading to a visit with a healthcare provider. Mean risk of a serious fall in the next year is moderate: 4.05%±4.13%. 34% reported a fracture as an adult. Mean FRAX scores indicate a low 10-year risk for fragility fracture (major osteoporotic fracture: 8.71%±6.95%; hip fracture 2.11%±3.58%). Eleven HIV clinicians are engaged with this project. Most (73%) regularly perform medication reconciliation. 55% report asking about falls only if the patient brings it up. 18% have never assessed their patients for fracture risk, and 36% have done so once. Conclusion Polypharmacy, peripheral neuropathy, PIMs, falls, and fractures are important intersectional risk factors for adverse outcomes in PAH and are inconsistently assessed by clinicians. Medication reconciliation is an important first step in identifying polypharmacy. Deprescribing, identifying patients with peripheral neuropathy, and discussing fall prevention are key foci for future interventions. Providing training resources for HIV clinicians to assess and prevent the 4F’s is crucial and feasible. Disclosures Richard Marottoli, MD, MPH, The Hartford: Advisory Panel on Older Driver Safety Michael D. Virata, MD, FACP, Janssen: Advisor/Consultant|Janssen: Honoraria|ViiV Pharmaceuticals: Advisor/Consultant|ViiV Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria
BACKGROUND:The integration of artificial intelligence in health care presents a significant opportunity to revolutionize patient care. In the United States, an estimated 129 million people have at least 1 chronic illness, with 42% having 2 or more. Despite being largely preventable, the prevalence of chronic illness is expected to rise and impose significant economic burdens and financial toxicity on health care consumers. OBJECTIVE:We leveraged an interdisciplinary team encompassing nursing, public health, and computer science to optimize health through prevention education for cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities in persons living with HIV. In this tutorial, we describe the iterative, data-based development and evaluation of an intersectionality-informed large language model designed to support patient teaching in this population. METHODS:First, we curated data by scraping publicly available, authoritative, evidence-based sources to capture a comprehensive dataset, supplemented by publicly available HIV forum content. Second, we benchmarked candidate large language models and generated a fine-tuning dataset using GPT-4 through multiturn question and answer conversations, using standardized metrics to assess baseline model performance. Third, we iteratively refined the selected model via low-rank adaptation and reinforcement learning, integrating quantitative metrics with qualitative expert evaluations. RESULTS:Pre-existing large language models (LLMs) demonstrated poor n-gram agreement, dissonance from model answers (accuracy 4.16, readability 4.63, and professionalism 4.58), and difficult readability (Kincaid 8.54 and Jargon 4.44). After prompt adjustments and fine-tuning, preliminary results demonstrate the potential of a customized Llama-based LLM to provide personalized, culturally salient patient education. CONCLUSIONS:We present a data-based, step-by-step tutorial for interdisciplinary development of CARDIO, a specialized LLM, for cardiovascular health education in HIV care. Through comprehensive data curation and scraping, systematic benchmarking, and a dual-stage fine-tuning pipeline, CARDIO's performance improved markedly (accuracy 5.0, readability 4.98, professionalism 4.98, Kincaid 7.17, and Jargon 2.92). Although patient pilot testing remains forthcoming, our results demonstrate that targeted data curation, rigorous benchmarking, and iterative fine-tuning have provided a robust evaluation of the model's potential. By building an LLM tailored to cardiovascular health promotion and patient education, this work lays the foundation for innovative artificial intelligence-driven strategies to manage comorbid conditions in people living with HIV.
More than half of people living with HIV in the US are 50+ years of age. HIV clinicians must be comfortable assessing for and managing conditions associated with aging. We trained 11 clinicians at an academic HIV ambulatory care center to assess and prevent the 4F’s (polypharmacy, fragility fractures, falls) among their patients 50+ years old. We share baseline patient data and results from the HIV clinicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices baseline assessment. 125 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 63±6 years, 49% were women, 48% identified as Black. 30% were current smokers, and 30% reported ongoing marijuana use. The mean number of medications prescribed was 10±5. However, 25% experienced hyperpolypharmacy (taking 15+ medications), and 66% were prescribed potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). Mean FRAX scores indicated low 10-year risk for fragility fractures (major osteoporotic fracture: 8.71%±6.95%; hip fracture 2.11%±3.58%). Using our serious fall risk assessment tool, we found that 27% of women and 24% of men were at high risk for a serious fall within the next 6 months. Among the clinicians participating in the study, 73% performed medication reconciliation at least once a year. 55% reported asking about falls only if the patient brought it up, and 36% had only asked their patients once about falls. 18% had never assessed their patients’ fracture risk. Polypharmacy, high medication count, and PIMs are key risk factors for adverse outcomes among older adults. Deprescribing and fall and fracture prevention are key foci for future interventions.
OBJECTIVE:People with HIV (PWH) are at an increased risk of suicide and death from unintentional causes compared with people living without HIV. Broadening the categorization of death from suicide to self-injurious unnatural death (SIUD) may better identify a more complete set of modifiable risk factors that could be targeted for prevention efforts among PWH. DESIGN:We conducted a nested case-control study using data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS), a longitudinal, observational cohort of Veterans from 2006-2015. A total of 5036 Veterans with HIV, of whom 461 died by SIUD, were included in the sample. METHODS:SIUD was defined using the International Classification of Disease 10 th revision cause of death codes. Cases ( n = 461) included individuals who died by SIUD (intentional, unintentional, and undetermined causes of death). Controls ( n = 4575) were selected using incidence density sampling, matching on date of birth ± 1 year, race, sex, and HIV status. SIUD and suicide was estimated using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS:A previous suicide attempt, a diagnosis of an affective disorder, recent use of benzodiazepines, psychiatric hospitalization, and living in the western US significantly increased the risk of suicide and SIUD. Risk factors that appear more important for SIUD than for suicide included a drug use disorder, alcohol use disorder, Hepatitis C, VACS Index 2.0, current smoking, and high pain levels (7-10). CONCLUSION:Limiting studies to known suicides obscures the larger public health burden of excess deaths from self-injurious behavior. Our findings demonstrate the benefit of expanding the focus to SIUD for the identification of modifiable risk factors that could be targeted for treatment.
OBJECTIVE:The population of women ages 50 years and older living with HIV is increasing. Yet, little is known about the care networks that older women living with HIV (OWLH) use to manage their health. The goal of this study was to explore the caregiving and care receiving relationships among OWLH and how these relationships impact HIV management. METHODS:OWLH aged 50 years and older were recruited from clinics and community-based organizations across the U.S. We conducted semi-structured, in-depth phone interviews and performed content and thematic analysis on transcripts. RESULTS:Participants (N = 23) were on average 60 years old and had been living with HIV for an average of 23.7 years. Participants 1) relied on diverse care networks; 2) were caregivers for grandchildren and parents; 3) had pride and joy in being caregivers; and 4) were highly proactive in their own HIV management. Care networks promoted self-love and acceptance. However, concerns about aging with HIV were still highly prevalent. CONCLUSION:Being a caregiver and care recipient are sources of meaning and strength to help OWLH manage HIV. Public health programs should consider engaging both OWLH and their care networks in healthcare discussions and educational efforts.
BACKGROUND:Residential mobility, or a change in residence, can influence health care utilization and outcomes. Health systems can leverage their patients' residential addresses stored in their electronic health records (EHRs) to better understand the relationships among patients' residences, mobility, and health. The Veteran Health Administration (VHA), with a unique nationwide network of health care systems and integrated EHR, holds greater potential for examining these relationships. METHODS:We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to examine the association of sociodemographics, clinical conditions, and residential mobility. We defined residential mobility by the number of VHA EHR residential addresses identified for each patient in a 1-year period (1/1-12/31/2018), with 2 different addresses indicating one move. We used generalized logistic regression to model the relationship between a priori selected correlates and residential mobility as a multinomial outcome (0, 1, ≥2 moves). RESULTS:In our sample, 84.4% (n=3,803,475) veterans had no move, 13.0% (n=587,765) had 1 move, and 2.6% (n=117,680) had ≥2 moves. In the multivariable analyses, women had greater odds of moving [aOR=1.11 (95% CI: 1.10,1.12) 1 move; 1.27 (1.25,1.30) ≥2 moves] than men. Veterans with substance use disorders also had greater odds of moving [aOR=1.26 (1.24,1.28) 1 move; 1.77 (1.72,1.81) ≥2 moves]. DISCUSSION:Our study suggests about 16% of veterans seen at VHA had at least 1 residential move in 2018. VHA data can be a resource to examine relationships between place, residential mobility, and health.
People living with HIV (PWH) are at increased risk of suicide and death from unintentional causes compared with people living without HIV. Broadening the categorization of death from suicide to self-injurious unnatural death (SIUD) may better identify a more complete set of modifiable risk factors that could be targeted for prevention efforts among PWH. We conducted a nested case-control study using data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS), a longitudinal, observational cohort of Veterans from 2006–2015. A total of 5,036 Veterans with HIV, of whom 461 died by SIUD, were included in the sample. SIUD was defined using the International Classification of Disease 10th revision cause of death codes. Cases (n = 461) included individuals who died by SIUD (intentional, unintentional, and undetermined causes of death). Controls (n = 4,575) were selected using incidence density sampling, matching on date of birth ± one year, race, sex, and HIV status. SIUD and suicide was estimated using conditional logistic regression. A previous suicide attempt, a diagnosis of an affective disorder, recent use of benzodiazepines, psychiatric hospitalization, and living in the western US significantly increased the risk of suicide and SIUD. Risk factors that appear more important for SIUD than for suicide included a drug use disorder, alcohol use disorder, Hepatitis C, VACS Index 2.0, current smoking, and high pain levels (7–10). Limiting studies to known suicides obscures the larger public health burden of excess deaths from self-injurious behavior. Our findings demonstrate the benefit of expanding the focus to SIUD for the identification of modifiable risk factors that could be targeted for treatment.
Among persons with HIV (PWH), unhealthy alcohol use and polypharmacy contribute to bothersome symptoms (e.g., fatigue, dizziness, memory loss). However, effective risk communication targeting these associations is challenging. The HIV and Alcohol Research center focused on Polypharmacy (HARP) is conducting a pilot study that will generate feasibility and acceptability data on a clinical pharmacist-delivered counseling intervention targeting the modification of unhealthy alcohol use and polypharmacy in PWH. Counseling is guided by the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills-Motivational Interviewing (IMB-MI) model. Herein, we describe the study protocol. This pilot uses a one-group pre-test/post-test design. We will recruit 50 participants from those who participated in the consented cohort of the Veterans Aging Cohort Study. Participants must be prescribed ≥ 5 long-term medications, have a self-reported Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score > 0, and be living with HIV. We will exclude those with moderate-severe alcohol use disorder as identified by an Alcohol Symptom Checklist score ≥ 4. Data are collected using three self-administered surveys (baseline, immediately after booster intervention, and 30-days post-intervention), two PEth blood tests (baseline, 30 days post-intervention), and medication data from the electronic health record (baseline). The intervention includes a 60-minute IMB-MI-based counseling session followed by a booster session 2 weeks later. Some participants will also be asked to participate in a qualitative interview to provide feedback on the intervention. The pilot investigates the impact of an intervention on alcohol consumption and the use of multiple medications among PWH, exploring how best to reduce bothersome symptoms, communicate risk, and support behavior change in this population.
OBJECTIVE:Fragility fractures (fractures) are a critical outcome for persons aging with HIV (PAH). Research suggests that the fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) only modestly estimates fracture risk among PAH. We provide an updated evaluation of how well a 'modified FRAX' identifies PAH at risk for fractures in a contemporary HIV cohort. DESIGN:Cohort study. METHODS:We used data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study to evaluate veterans living with HIV, aged 50+ years, for the occurrence of fractures from 1 January 2010 through 31 December 2019. Data from 2009 were used to evaluate the eight FRAX predictors available to us: age, sex, BMI, history of previous fracture, glucocorticoid use, rheumatoid arthritis, alcohol use, and smoking status. These predictor values were then used to estimate participant risk for each of two types of fractures (major osteoporotic and hip) over the subsequent 10 years in strata defined by race/ethnicity using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS:Discrimination for major osteoporotic fracture was modest [Blacks: area under the curve (AUC) 0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62, 0.63; Whites: AUC 0.61; 95% CI 0.60, 0.61; Hispanic: AUC 0.63; 95% CI 0.62, 0.65]. For hip fractures, discrimination was modest to good (Blacks: AUC 0.70; 95% CI 0.69, 0.71; Whites: AUC 0.68; 95% CI 0.67, 0.69]. Calibration was good in all models across all racial/ethnic groups. CONCLUSION:Our 'modified FRAX' exhibited modest discrimination for predicting major osteoporotic fracture and slightly better discrimination for hip fracture. Future studies should explore whether augmentation of this subset of FRAX predictors results in enhanced prediction of fractures among PAH.
The rate of suicide among people with HIV (PWH) remains elevated compared to the general population. The aim of the study was to examine the association between a broad range of risk factors, HIV-specific risk factors, and suicide. We conducted a nested case-control study using data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) between 2006 and 2015. The risk of suicide was estimated using conditional logistic regression and models were stratified by HIV status. Most risk factors associated with suicide were similar between PWH and people without HIV; these included affective disorders, use of benzodiazepines, and mental health treatment. Among PWH, HIV-specific risk factors were not associated with suicide. A multiplicative interaction was observed between a diagnosis of HIV and a previous suicide attempt. Among PWH, a high prevalence of psychiatric, substance use disorders and multimorbidity contribute to the risk of suicide.
Background COVID-19 forced a rapid transition to telehealth. Little is known about the use of telephone versus video visits among people living with or at risk for HIV (PWH). Setting We studied electronic health record data from an urban HIV clinic. Our sample included visit- and person-level data. Visit-level data came from appointments scheduled from 30 March 2020 to 31 May 2020. Person-level data came from patients 18+ years of age who completed at least one telephone or video visit during the period of interest. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis. Our primary outcome was telehealth modality (telephone or video). We compared visit completion status by telehealth modality. We evaluated associations between patient characteristics and telehealth modality using logistic regression. Results In total, 1742 visits included information on telehealth modality: 1432 telephone (82%) and 310 (18%) video visits. 77% of telephone visits were completed compared to 75% of video visits ( p = 0.449). The clinic recorded 643 completed telehealth visits in April and 623 in May 2020. The proportion of telephone visits decreased from 84% in April to 79% in May ( p = 0.031). Most patients participated in telephone versus video visits (415 vs. 88 patients). Older age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 3.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37–7.82) and Black race (AOR 2.42; 95% CI, 1.20–4.49) were positively associated with telephone visits. Patient portal enrollment (AOR 0.06; 95% CI, 0.02–0.16) was negatively associated with telephone visits. Conclusion PWH used telephone more than video visits, suggesting that telephone visits are a vital healthcare resource for this population.
Although 50 years represents middle age among uninfected individuals, studies have shown that persons living with HIV (PWH) begin to demonstrate elevated risk for serious falls and fragility fractures in the sixth decade; the proportions of these outcomes attributable to modifiable factors are unknown.
Objective: The primary aim included explorations of: (1) the associations between the history of blast exposure (BE), close blast exposure (CBE), and blast-related traumatic brain injury (bTBI) and metabolic abnormality; and (2) the potential mediating effect of comorbid psychological and somatic conditions on these associations. The secondary aim explored the association of dose-response impact of BE, CBE, and bTBI and metabolic abnormality. Setting: Data were collected by the Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS). Participants: Post-9/11 veterans from the TRACTS baseline sample who had conflict-zone deployment experience ( N = 734). Design: Cross-sectional secondary data analysis. We computed relative risks (RRs) and 95% CI using modified Poisson regression. We quantified the impact of co-occurring psychological and somatic conditions on this association using mediation analyses. Main Measures: Exposures included BE (<100 m), CBE (<10 m), and bTBI. Metabolic abnormality outcomes included (1) overweight/obesity (defined by abnormal waist-hip ratio [WHR] and abnormal waist circumference [WC]); (2) glucose dysregulation; and (3) meeting criteria for cardiometabolic syndrome (defined by guidelines). Results: The sample was majority male (91%) and White (68%), with a mean age of 34.6 years (SD = 8.99). Most participants had 1 or more BE (83%); 48% experienced 1 or more CBE. Overweight/obesity was highly prevalent in the sample (51% had abnormal WHR and 60% abnormal WC). There was no significant direct or indirect association between BE, CBE, and bTBI and metabolic abnormalities (RRs: 0.70-1.51; P 's > .05). Conclusion: Future research is needed to investigate the association of BE with metabolic abnormalities with larger, more targeted sample selection, and longer follow-up. Effective and sustainable weight management and metabolic health prevention interventions for this veteran cohort are needed.
Persons living with HIV (PWH) are at elevated risk for suicide. We conducted a systematic literature review following PRISMA-P guidelines to examine risk factors associated with suicide as a cause of morbidity among PWH. We searched six electronic databases using search terms (suicide, suicide attempt, self-harm, self-injurious behavior, HIV, AIDS, PWH). We focused on factors that were specific to HIV infection (CD4 count, HIV-1 RNA, and antiretroviral therapy [ART]). The initial search yielded N = 2657 studies. Eligible studies included suicide as an outcome, quantitative study design, and publication in peer-reviewed journals from 1996 through 2020. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria. PWH share risk factors for suicide found in the general population: psychiatric illness, previous suicide attempt, drug and alcohol misuse. PWH also have HIV-specific risk factors for suicide. HIV diagnosis in the past two years and transmission related to injection drug use were associated with increased risk; HIV-1 RNA, ART, and AIDS-defining illness were not.
BACKGROUND:Older (older than 50 years) persons living with HIV (PWH) are at elevated risk for falls. We explored how well our algorithm for predicting falls in a general population of middle-aged Veterans (age 45-65 years) worked among older PWH who use antiretroviral therapy (ART) and whether model fit improved with inclusion of specific ART classes. METHODS:This analysis included 304,951 six-month person-intervals over a 15-year period (2001-2015) contributed by 26,373 older PWH from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study who were taking ART. Serious falls (those falls warranting a visit to a health care provider) were identified by external cause of injury codes and a machine-learning algorithm applied to radiology reports. Potential predictors included a fall within the past 12 months, demographics, body mass index, Veterans Aging Cohort Study Index 2.0 score, substance use, and measures of multimorbidity and polypharmacy. We assessed discrimination and calibration from application of the original coefficients (model derived from middle-aged Veterans) to older PWH and then reassessed by refitting the model using multivariable logistic regression with generalized estimating equations. We also explored whether model performance improved with indicators of ART classes. RESULTS:With application of the original coefficients, discrimination was good (C-statistic 0.725; 95% CI: 0.719 to 0.730) but calibration was poor. After refitting the model, both discrimination (C-statistic 0.732; 95% CI: 0.727 to 0.734) and calibration were good. Including ART classes did not improve model performance. CONCLUSIONS:After refitting their coefficients, the same variables predicted risk of serious falls among older PWH nearly and they had among middle-aged Veterans.
Summary Background Polypharmacy, defined as use of five or more medications concurrently, is associated with adverse health outcomes and people ageing with HIV might be at greater risk than similar uninfected individuals. We aimed to determine whether known pairwise drug interactions (KPDIs) were associated with risk of admission to hospital (hereafter referred to as hospitalisation) and medication count among people ageing with and without HIV after accounting for physiological frailty. Methods In this observational study, we collected individual-level data for participants of the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and with supressed HIV-1 RNA and people without HIV who were receiving at least one prescription medication, based on active medications in the 2009 fiscal year (ie, Oct 1, 2008, to Sept 30, 2009). We identified KPDIs among these patients by linking prescription fill and refill data with data from DrugBank (version 5.0.11). We collected data on all-cause mortality and hospitalisations between Oct 1, 2009, and March 31, 2019. We compared KPDI counts using random selection and actual patterns of use across medication counts from two to 12. We created a weighted KPDI Index on the basis of the average association of each KPDI with mortality among people ageing without HIV and used nested Cox models stratified by HIV status to estimate the association between medication count and hospitalisation, with incremental adjustments for demographics, physiological frailty, and KPDI Index. Findings We collected data for 9186 people ageing with HIV and 37 930 individuals without HIV. 45 913 (97·4%) of 47 116 patients were men and the sample was predominantly aged 50–64 years (30 413 [64·6%]). Compared with a random sample of medications, real-world pattern of medication counts and combinations were associated with five-to-six times more KPDIs (eg, for a combination of six medications, KPDI count was 1·09 in the random sample, 5·49 in the HIV-negative population, and 7·13 in the HIV-positive population). For each additional observed medication, people ageing with HIV had approximately 2·94 additional KPDIs and comparators had approximately 2·67 additional KPDIs. Adjustment for demographics, physiological frailty, and KPDI Index reduced the association between medication count and risk of hospitalisation for people ageing with HIV (hazard ratio 1·08 [95% CI 1·07–1·09] reduced to 1·06 [1·05–1·07]) and those without HIV (1·08 [1·07–1·08] reduced to 1·04 [1·03–1·05]). Interpretation For each additional medication, people ageing with HIV have more drug–drug interactions than those without HIV. Adjusting for known non-ART drug–drug interactions, each additional non-ART medication confers excess risk of hospitalisation for people ageing with HIV. Randomised trials will be needed to determine whether reducing these interactions improves outcomes. Funding National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development, and Office of Research and Development.
BACKGROUND Insomnia may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in HIV (HIV-CVD); however, mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. METHODS We examined cross-sectional associations of insomnia symptoms with biological mechanisms of HIV-CVD (immune activation, systemic inflammation, and coagulation) among 1,542 people with HIV from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) Biomarker Cohort. Past-month insomnia symptoms were assessed by the item, "Difficulty falling or staying asleep?," with the following response options: "I do not have this symptom" or "I have this symptom and…" "it doesn't bother me," "it bothers me a little," "it bothers me," "it bothers me a lot." Circulating levels of the monocyte activation marker soluble CD14 (sCD14), inflammatory marker interleukin-6 (IL-6), and coagulation marker D-dimer were determined from blood specimens. Demographic- and fully-adjusted (CVD risk factors, potential confounders, HIV-related factors) regression models were constructed, with log-transformed biomarker variables as the outcomes. We present the exponentiated regression coefficient (exp[b]) and its 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS We observed no significant associations between insomnia symptoms and sCD14 or IL-6. For D-dimer, veterans in the "Bothers a Lot" group had, on average, 17% higher D-dimer than veterans in the "No Difficulty Falling or Staying Asleep" group in the demographic-adjusted model (exp[b] = 1.17, 95%CI = 1.01-1.37, p = .04). This association was nonsignificant in the fully-adjusted model (exp[b] = 1.09, 95%CI = 0.94-1.26, p = .27). CONCLUSION We observed little evidence of relationships between insomnia symptoms and markers of biological mechanisms of HIV-CVD. Other mechanisms may be responsible for the insomnia-CVD relationship in HIV; however, future studies with comprehensive assessments of insomnia symptoms are warranted.