U.S. adolescents and young adults at risk of HIV aren’t getting the preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prescriptions they need, according to a national analysis of prescription data on over 100,000 youth.
In individuals ages 13 to 21 years with a documented sexually transmitted infection (STI) or high-risk sexual behavior, just 1.6% filled a PrEP prescription from 2018 to 2022, reported researchers led by Nicholas Venturelli, MD, MPH, of Boston Children’s Hospital.
Disparities Among Vulnerable Groups
Minors, young women, and those living in the South faced larger disparities, the findings in JAMA Pediatrics showed.
“This cohort study demonstrates persistently low rates of PrEP prescription among youths in the U.S., even among groups at higher risk, such as those with a prior syphilis diagnosis,” Venturelli and colleagues wrote. “This reflects a gap in preventive HIV care for youths and underscores the need for tailored and more effective interventions to improve PrEP access and use.”
Young men were 15 times more likely than young women to fill a PrEP prescription, while patients ages 20 to 21 years were three times more likely than minors ages 13 to 17 years to receive PrEP. Areas in the Midwest and South showed significant differences in PrEP fill rates compared to the Northeast.
Impact of Perceptions and Policies
The PrEP gap between young men and women is critical, given that women accounted for 18% of all new HIV diagnoses in 2021. Misconceptions surrounding PrEP’s primary use as a male-focused tool may contribute to this gap.
A viewpoint published alongside highlighted that the disproportionate share of new infections among adolescents and young adults
Fuente: https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/hivaids/120677
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