Determining factors of a personalized approach to patients with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Serebryakova S. L. , Boeva E. V. , Moisa M. A. , Dyrul S. I. , Ogurtsova S. V. , Leonov O. N. , Kovelenov A. Yu. 
Published: November 2022

Objective. To study the epidemiological, medical, social and clinical factors that affect the manifestations and treatment of diseases — infections caused by the immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which underlie the formation of a personalized approach to the management and treatment of people living with HIV (PLHIV).

Materials and methods. Epidemiological analysis of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 in the Leningrad region for 2021–2022 was carried out. The research team conducted a questionnaire and analysis of medical documentation of 122 HIVpositive patients registered at the Leningrad Regional Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and Infectious Diseases who suffered a novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the period from 2020 to 2022. An assessment was made of the psychological and social characteristics of patients affecting adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), the clinical picture of the course of HIV infection, including in combination with COVID-19. The fact of SARS-CoV-2 disease was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) smears from the mouth and nasopharynx. Additionally, a group of 59 PLHIV hospitalized in hospitals in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region with a severe form of COVID-19 was isolated for analysis.

Results and discussion. Number of COVID-19 cases in 2020–2021 in the Leningrad region amounted to 15.553 people, of which 1.553 had a history of HIV infection (13.5% of patients registered at the dispensary). The mortality rate among PLHIV who underwent COVID-19 was 5.1%. An equal ratio of women and men was observed among 122 surveyed patients, the average age of respondents was 41 years. When assessing the social status of the respondents, it was found that 25.4% had higher education, 56.5% had specialized secondary education. 72.9% had a permanent job. 61.4% of respondents considered themselves to be in the category of material well-being of «average level», 24.6% — to «below average». The sexual route of HIV infection was established in 50.8% of patients, injectable was 29.5%, in other cases it was not unknown. The average level of CD4 lymphocytes in the blood was 544 cl/mcl, most patients (90.2%) had an undetectable indicator of HIV viral load (VL). The average duration of the disease with the new coronavirus in HIV patients was 15.6 days. At the same time, 108 (88.5%) people noted a mild course of COVID-19 and did not need hospitalization. Coverage of COVID-19 vaccination among the surveyed PLHIV was 40.9%. According to data from 59 case histories of PLHIV hospitalized as a result of the severe course of COVID-19, 55 people died, a pathoanatomic autopsy was performed in 26 cases. The autopsy revealed the following complications and concomitant diseases: miliary tuberculosis (7.7%), purulent endocarditis (11.5%), sepsis (19.2%). Improvement in the dynamics was observed only in 4 PLHIV, whose further fate is unknown.

Conclusion. The study showed that the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 among PLHIV in the Leningrad region is comparable to the general population, however, the total mortality among HIV-infected patients is higher than in the region and across the country. As a result of the analysis, we came to the conclusion that HIV infection and COVID-19 are independent in terms of co-infection at the outpatient stage. The exception is severe and aggravated comorbid cases, which required a more detailed assessment of the condition, the involvement of a larger number of specialists, as well as laboratory and instrumental research methods. The results obtained determined the need for a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to patients with HIV infection, taking into account their personal needs. Medical personnel providing care to PLHIV should take into account not only the clinical picture of the disease, but also the psychosocial status of the patient, in order to improve the outcomes of COVID-19 and HIV infection.