Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 among people living with HIV at Eka Kotebe General Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION: Evidence on the interplay between HIV and COVID-19 is not entirely consistent. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on the medical records of patients who had a positive RT-PCR for COVID-19 and were admitted to Eka Kotebe General Hospital between March 2020 and October 2021. RESULTS: A total of 427 patients, including 108 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) and 319 people without HIV/AIDS, were included in the study. The median age of PLWH and people without HIV was 49.5 years (interquartile range 40–59 years) and 48 years (interquartile range 32–65 years), respectively. Of these patients, 258 (60.4%) were male and 169 (39.6%) were female. There were significant differences between PLWH and people without HIV in terms of age, tuberculosis, pregnancy, chronic liver disease, complications, shock, white blood cell count, and end outcome (alive or dead). There was no association between HIV status and the need for oxygen, intensive care unit admission, or disease severity. After adjusting for other variables, mortality was significantly higher among PLWH (adjusted odds ratio 2.25, 95% confidence interval 1.11–5.56; P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: PLWH with COVID-19 had a higher rate of in-hospital mortality than people without HIV, although no association was found between HIV status and the requirement for intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, oxygen support, or the severity of the disease at the time of admission.