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Marcel Zwahlen, Jens D Lundgren, Commentary: Death in the era of potent antiretroviral therapy: shifting causes, new challenges, International Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 34, Issue 1, February 2005, Pages 130–131, https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyh402
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Several studies have shown that the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) has lead to a substantial reduction in HIV-associated mortality.1–4 This in turn has resulted in a notable shift in causes of death among adults who died with or due to HIV infection.5–11 In this issue Lewden et al. present the results of a nation-wide survey of the causes of death of 964 HIV-infected individuals who died in the year 2000 in 185 wards in France.12
Their study has several strengths. The investigators made extensive efforts to ascertain all deaths among HIV-infected individuals cared for in hospitals known to be involved in the management of HIV infection in France. They visited sites to check and enhance the completeness and accuracy of the available information. Finally, they collected an array of important and detailed information on the deceased HIV-infected individuals, going far beyond what is available from routine hospital records or death certificates.