Clinical Data and Health Outcomes for HIV-Positive Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19

Introduction As we care for patients during the coronavirus pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is important to learn and analyze the health outcomes for HIV-positive patients who have been infected with COVID-19. The clinical course and outcome of COVID-19 among patients with HIV-1 infection are still unknown and novel. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of 34 HIV-positive patients who are diagnosed with COVID-19. The following basic demographic, clinical, and laboratory test information were collected for each patient: age, race/ethnicity, gender, CD4/viral load count before and after COVID-19 diagnosis, clinical symptoms, hospitalizations, antiretroviral medications, and comorbidities. These data were collected from the electronic health record (EHR) and recorded in the study database. Results The mean (interquartile range (IQR)) HIV viral load (RNA PCR) after COVID-19 infection was 37,170 (<20-167) copies/mL compared to 25,730 (<20-100) copies/mL before COVID-19 infection. The mean (IQR) CD4+ lymphocyte count prior to and after COVID-19 infection was 583 (101-1139) and 477 (167-821) cells/mm(3), respectively. Hypertension (n = 20) was the most prevalent comorbidity found in the cohort of HIV-positive patients. Patients with HIV RNA < 20 copies/mL prior to and after COVID-19 infection were 27 (79.3%) and 17 (73.7%), respectively. Conclusion As the pandemic situation keeps on evolving, there will be new findings on how people living with HIV might be affected by SARS-CoV-2. Our findings highlight the importance of larger sample size studies to better understand the management of HIV-positive patients in a pandemic situation.