The Cascade of HIV Care in the U.S.

In 2011, the CDC published an analysis showing the number of people engaged at each stage of HIV care, from diagnosis through virologic suppression (JW AIDS Clin Care Dec 22 2011). By now, the dismal results, often displayed in the shape of an inverted pyramid, are well known, with patients dropping out of care at each stage until only 28% have reached the ultimate goal of virologic suppression. In a late-breaker session at AIDS 2012, Irene Hall presented an updated analysis of this “cascade of care” in the U.S. [Abstract FRLBX05].

Overall, only 25% of HIV-infected individuals in the U.S. were estimated to have attained virologic suppression. The percentage of women who remained engaged at each stage of care was slightly higher than the perc…