Journal
AIDS CARE-PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIO-MEDICAL ASPECTS OF AIDS/HIV
Volume 34, Issue 5, Pages 663-669Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2021.1904500
Keywords
HIV; COVID-19; vulnerable populations; long-term care facilities; asylum seekers; socioeconomic status
Categories
Funding
- Fonds de recherche du Quebec Sante (FRQ-S) chercheur boursier clinicien Junior 1 salary awards
- FRQ-S Junior 2 salary award
- Quebec's Ministry of Health for researchers in Family Medicine [LE 250]
- Canadian Institutes for Health Research Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) Mentorship Chair in Innovative Clinical Trials
- CIHR Canada Research Chair in Hepatitis C in Vulnerable Populations
- McGill University Louis Lowenstein Chair in Hematology Oncology
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The study in a tertiary care clinic in Montreal found that PLWH who tested positive for COVID-19 may have worse health outcomes and were at high risk due to low socioeconomic status and high-risk employment or living conditions. Three individuals died with COVID-19, with one confirmed death due to COVID-19 and two deaths with positive COVID-19 test results but unclear immediate cause.
People living with HIV (PLWH) often have worse health outcomes compared to HIV-uninfected individuals. We characterized PLWH followed at a tertiary care clinic in Montreal who acquired COVID-19 and described their outcomes during the first wave of the pandemic. A retrospective chart review was performed for PLWH followed at the Chronic Viral Illness Service with a positive COVID-19 nasopharyngeal PCR or symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 between 1 March and 15 June 2020. Data on demographics, socioeconomic status, co-morbidities and severity of COVID-19 and outcomes were extracted. Of 1702 individuals, 32 (1.9%) had a positive COVID-19 test (n = 24) or symptoms suspicious for COVID-19 (n = 3). Median age was 52 years [IQR 40, 62]. Nearly all (97%) earned $34,999 Canadian dollars or less. Eleven (34%) individuals worked in long-term care (LTC) homes while 5 (6%) lived in LTC homes. Median CD4 count was 566 cells/mm(3) [347, 726] and six had detectable plasma HIV viral loads. Median duration of HIV was 17 years [7, 22] and 30 individuals had been prescribed antiretroviral therapy. Five persons were asymptomatic. Of symptomatic persons, 21 (12%), 1 (4%) and 3 (12%) individuals had mild, moderate and severe disease, respectively. Three individuals died with COVID-19. In one case, the cause of death was due to COVID-19, whereas in the other two cases, the individuals died with positive COVID-19 test results but the immediate cause of death is unclear. PLWH who tested positive for COVID-19 had low socioeconomic status and had employment or living conditions that put them at high risk. PLWH may be disproportionately impacted by the social determinants of health which predispose them to COVID-19.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available