The PISCIS cohort is an open, multicentric, longitudinal and prospective study that includes data on HIV patients in one of the 18 collaborating hospitals in Catalonia and Balearic Islands. Included patients are those 16 years or older that initiated follow-up in one of the participating centres after the 1st of January, 1998. At present moment, PISCIS includes data on more than 22,200 patients, with more than 169,000 person/year of follow-up. In recent years, the cohort has worked on (1) patients’ clinical-epidemiological characteristics evolution, and assessing the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART), (2) ART’s effectiveness in slowing the progression to AIDS or death by means of marginal structural models (MSM), (3) analyzing long-term immune reconstitution, (4) virologic response and survival differences according to age groups, (5) identifying co-infection with HCV as a prognostic factor to AIDS or death, (6) and worsening prognosis due to ART postponement. At the present moment, the cohort is focused on mortality and comorbidity burden, HIV-HCV coinfection, drug use, behavioural changes, and quality of life, especially in >50 years-old, efficacy and safety on ART therapy, non-AIDS-defining events,  and immigrant sub-cohorts.

The cohort’s coordinating centre is localized in Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, within the Catalan Centre for Epidemiological Studies on STD and AIDS (CEEISCAT).

Key RESPOND Staff:
Principal Investigator: Jordi Casabona (CEEISCAT-CIBERESP) and Josep M. Miró (H. Clínic-IDIBAPS- University of Barcelona, Barcelona). Project coordinator: Juliana Reyes. Field coordinator: Andreu Bruguera. Data Management and statistical analysis: Alexandra Montoliu. Data Protection Officer and Technical Support: Esteve Muntada.

Website: http://www.pisciscohort.org/