Driving Force of Covid 19 Among People Living With HIV/AIDS in Wuhan, China
Background: Even people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) were considered to be at increased risk of SARS CoV 2 infection, the driving force among this group of individuals is still not clear. Methods: We investigated 1,701 PLWHA through a telephone interview and found 11 COVID 19 patients in four districts of Wuhan, China. The demographic features and major clinical characteristics of these patients were retrieved from the information management systems for COVID 19 patients of four districts' CDC. Statistical analysis was performed to find out the driving force of COVID 19 among PLWHA. Results: The incidence proportion of COVID 19 in PLWHA is 0.6% (95% CI: 0.2% 1.0% which is comparable to the overall population incidence rate in Wuhan city (0.6% Nine out of the 11 COVID 19/AIDS patients had relatively high CD4+ T lymphocyte count >200/ml) and undetectable HIV viral load (20 copies/ml) and ten of them were on antiretroviral therapy. PLWHA who were old, had low CD4+ T lymphocyte count, infected HIV through homosexual activity, and had been diagnosed for HIV for a long time, were more likely to develop COVID 19. Conclusions: PLWHA has comparable COVID 19 morbidity rates as the general population, and older age, low CD4 count, long length since HIV diagnosis, and treatment naive were potential driving forces of COVID 19 occurrence among PLWHA. Strategies in preventing SARS CoV 2 infection among PLWHA with worse immune responses are needed. Article Summary Line: As COVID 19 continues to spread around the world, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are also at risk of infection with SARS CoV 2. We investigated the factors associated with SARS CoV 2 infection among PLWHA in Wuhan, China.
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