Alcohol Use and Multimorbidity Among Individuals Living with HIV

Abstract

Alcohol is prevalent among people living with HIV and can lead to multiple comorbid conditions (multimorbidity). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between alcohol use history and multimorbidity among people living with HIV. A retrospective cohort study design was conducted at an urban, academic infectious disease clinic in Kentucky. Individuals seeking care between 2010 and 2014 were included. Modified Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship between alcohol use history (never, current, and former use) and multimorbidity (≥ 2 conditions). A total of 949 individuals were included in the study, with 5.1 and 17.6% reporting former and current alcohol use, respectively. Sixty-five percent had ≥ 1 condition and 82.6% of those had ≥ 2 conditions diagnosed. The risk of multimorbidity was 1.70 (95% CI 1.35-2.14) times higher for a current user compared to a never user. Reductions in alcohol use may lead to lower rates of multimorbidity.

Keywords: Alcohol use; Comorbid conditions; HIV; Multimorbidity; PLWH.