Long-term symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of people living with HIV

• Published in: Infection
• Main Authors: Degli Antoni, Melania, Maifredi, Giovanni, Storti, Samuele, Tiecco, Giorgio, Di Gregorio, Marco, Rossi, Benedetta, Gasparotti, Cinzia, Focà, Emanuele, Castelli, Francesco, Quiros-Roldan, Eugenia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 03.05.2024
• Subjects: COVID-19; Long-COVID; PLWH; Post-COVID-19 conditions; Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2; HIV
• ISSN: 0300-8126; 1439-0973
• DOI: 10.1007/s15010-024-02288-9

Our Hospital in Northern Italy assists 3817 people living with HIV (PLWH) and has faced the impact of COVID-19. Little is known about the impact of HIV infection on the risk of post-COVID-19 conditions (PCCs) onset. We aim to assess the incidence of PCC in PLWH and the factors associated with its occurrence. We performed a retrospective, observational study including all PLWH > 18 years registered in the Brescia Health Protection Agency database, assessing SARS-CoV-2 burden, vaccination status, socio-demographic, and viro-immunological parameters from February 2020 until May 2022. Persistence of self-reported symptoms (clustered into gastrointestinal, respiratory, osteo-muscular, and neuro-behavioral symptoms) was evaluated after 3 months by a telephone-administered questionnaire. We estimated the associations between all variables and outcomes through univariate and multivariable logistic models. In the study period, 653 PLWH were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection (17.1%). We observed 19 (2.9%) reinfections, 71 (10.9%) hospitalizations, and 3 (0.5%) deaths. We interviewed 510/653 PLWH (78%), and 178 (PCCs prevalence 34.9%; CI 95% 30.7-39.2) reported persistent symptoms. Asthenia/fatigue was the most reported symptom (60/178), followed by muscular pain (54/178). In the multivariate regression model, there was a lower risk of PCCs in males respect to females (adjusted OR = 0.64; CI 95% 0.99-3.66), while hospitalization during acute infection was associated with an increased the risk of PCCs (adjusted OR = 1.9; CI 95% 0.99-3.66). Notably, no viro-immunological variable modified the PCCs risk onset. Our study highlights a substantial prevalence of PCCs among PLWH, three months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection, independent of viro-immunological features or vaccination status.