HIV-CAUSAL

The HIV-CAUSAL (HIV Cohorts Analyzed Using Structural Approaches to Longitudinal data) collaboration is a multinational collaboration of prospective studies of HIV-infected individuals from six European countries, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. Originally HIV-CAUSAL was an acronym for HIV Cohorts Analyzed Using Structural Approaches to Longitudinal data. The collaboration aims to answer three main questions: when to start antiretroviral therapy, what antiretroviral regimen to use initially, and when to switch to another regimen. Because these questions are unlikely to be answered by a single study, there is a need for this type of collaborative project.

The HIV-CAUSAL collaboration pools data collected for clinical purposes within health care systems that have few barriers to access in the populations they serve. The data are analysed using methods specifically designed for causal inference from complex longitudinal data.

The collaboration is designed to inform evidence-based guidelines and planning of clinical trials. In addition, it facilitates the understanding of and training in causal modelling across leading HIV observational research groups in the United States and Europe.

» Visit the HIV-CAUSAL website

The HIV-CAUSAL collaboration published the following papers in 2017:

Comparison of dynamic monitoring strategies based on CD4 cell counts in virally suppressed, HIV-positive individuals on combination antiretroviral therapy in high-income countries: a prospective, observational study

Caniglia EC, Cain LE, Sabin CA, Robins JM, Logan R, Abgrall S, Mugavero MJ, Hernández-Díaz S, Meyer L, Seng R, Drozd DR, Seage GR 3rd, Bonnet F, Dabis F, Moore RD, Reiss P, van Sighem A, Mathews WC, Del Amo J, Moreno S, Deeks SG, Muga R, Boswell SL, Ferrer E, Eron JJ, Napravnik S, Jose S, Phillips A, Justice AC, Tate JP, Gill J, Pacheco A, Veloso VG, Bucher HC, Egger M, Furrer H, Porter K, Touloumi G, Crane H, Miro JM, Sterne JA, Costagliola D, Saag M, Hernán MA; HIV-CAUSAL Collaboration.; Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems.
Lancet HIV. 2017 Apr 11. pii: S2352-3018(17)30043-7. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3018(17)30043-7. [Epub ahead of print]

Effect of immediate initiation of antiretroviral treatment in HIV-positive individuals aged 50 years or older
Lodi S, Costagliola D, Sabin C, Amo JD, Logan R, Abgrall S, Reiss P, van Sighem A, Jose S, Blanco JR, Hernando V, Bucher HC, Kovari H, Segura F, Ambrosioni J, Gogos CA, Pantazis N, Dabis F, Vandenhende MA, Meyer L, Seng R, Gill J, Krentz H, Phillips A, Porter K, Grinsztejn B, Pacheco AG, Muga R, Tate J, Justice A, Hernán MA.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2017 Jul 21. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000001498. [Epub ahead of print]

Effect of immediate initiation of antiretroviral treatment on the risk of acquired HIV drug resistance
Lodi S, Günthard HF, Dunn D, Garcia F, Logan R, Jose S, Bucher HC, Scherrer AU, Schneider MP, Egger M, Glass TR, Reiss P, van Sighem A, Boender TS, Phillips AN, Porter K, Hawkins D, Moreno S, Monge S, Paraskevis D, Simeon M, Vourli G, Sabin C, Hernán MA; HIV-CAUSAL Collaboration.
AIDS. 2017 Nov 10. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000001692. [Epub ahead of print]