ASD 2004 Annual Report (PDF format)
Background:
HEP, in collaboration with CDC, initiated the ASD Project in 1990 to better define the spectrum of HIV-related diseases. LAC is one of 10 municipal areas participating in the study.
Objectives:
To evaluate trends in the clinical course, treatment and health care utilization of persons living with HIV infection in LAC.
Study Design:
The ASD Project is a medical records-based cohort study. Data are collected from the medical records of HIV-infected patients 13 years of age and older receiving medical care at three outpatient clinics. The participating sites, which provide routine care to HIV-infected patients, are among the largest in the county and report approximately 28% of all the AIDS cases locally. These clinics were selected to be representative of the types of facilities providing HIV care in LAC and include two public clinics (Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center), and a private health maintenance organization (Kaiser Permanente). Until 2001, a private medical practice (Beer Medical Group) was also included. Trained nurses and medical records technicians review medical records for basic demographic data, HIV-exposure category, AIDS-defining conditions, other infections and conditions, treatment and prophylaxis history, and laboratory data, including CD4+ lymphocyte count and viral load. The medical record is subsequently re-abstracted at 6-month intervals
References
Over 111 articles published in peer-reviewed publications and 150 presentations at scientific conferences have been based on ASD data.
Contact Persons:
Amy Wohl, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Wendy Garland, M.P.H., Project Coordinator
