Comorbidity and polypharmacy among women living with HIV in British Columbia.

To characterize comorbid disease and medication burden among women living with HIV (WLWH) in British Columbia (BC), Canada.We examined baseline data from 267 WLWH and 276 HIV-negative females, ≥19 years, enrolled in the Children and Women: Antiretrovirals and Markers of Aging (CARMA) cohort.Self-reported demographic, medical condition, medication, vitamin, and substance exposure data were collected at baseline CARMA study visits. We considered conditions with appropriate concomitant medications to be "treated". Wilcoxon rank-sum and Fisher's exact tests compared continuous and categorical variables between WLWH and HIV-negative women. Number of diagnoses, prescribed medications (excluding HIV/antiretrovirals), vitamins, and prevalence of depression/anxiety/panic disorder were compared using negative binomial and logistic regressions for continuous and binary variables respectively.WLWH were younger (median [IQR] 39.9 [33.6-46.9] vs 43.6 [31.8-54.6] years, p = 0.01), attained lower education (40.5% vs 69.6% college/university, p < 0.001), and more often currently smoked tobacco (47.9% vs 31.9%, p < 0.001), or had income <$15,000/year (49.0% vs 43.1%, p < 0.001). Although younger, and despite omitting HIV infection, WLWH had a greater number of diagnoses (IRR [95%CI] 1.58 [1.38-1.81], p <0.001), and more depression/anxiety/panic disorder versus controls (OR [95% CI], 1.86 [1.22-2.83], p = 0.004). Our model predicts that with mean BMI (26.3), WLWH and HIV-negative peers would have two comorbid diagnoses by age 30 and 60, respectively.WLWH living in BC have more comorbid illness earlier in life than their HIV-negative peers, and have very high rates of depression/anxiety/panic disorder. Addressing mental health and comorbid conditions is essential to improving health outcomes among WLWH.