The first cases of COVID-19 identified in people living with HIV in Barcelona’s main hospital do not differ from the rest of the population in symptoms or clinical course, offering some reassurance that HIV does not place people at higher risk of severe illness, Aidsmap reports preliminary findings say.
A letter by researchers at the Infectious Diseases Service, Hospital Clinic, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, University of Barcelona, offers the first data on COVID-19 clinical outcomes in people living with HIV.
It follows a statement by the European AIDS Clinical Society and British HIV Association on 1 April that “so far there is no evidence for a higher COVID-19 infection rate or different disease course in people living with HIV than in HIV-negative people.”
The Spanish case series is drawn from an analysis of 543 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms and confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection up to Monday 9 March at Hospital Clínic in Barcelona. Of these, five were HIV positive (0.92%).
The study authors note that all cases occurred in people under the age of 50. More information is needed about the clinical course of COVID-19 in older people living with HIV, especially those with co-morbidities, and in women.
The study authors also investigated possible routes of acquisition. One man had dinner five days before admission with another person diagnosed with COVID-19. However, whether that occasion was the source of transmission is unclear as the patient had already been symptomatic for three days by the time of admission. The median interval between infection and symptom development has been estimated as 5 days.
Two patients were sex workers, one of whom had taken part in a chemsex session six days before admission to hospital and four days before the onset of symptoms. The other two patients reported potential occupational exposure risks, one as a healthcare worker (the most severe case) and one working in a gym.
Authors
Jose L Blanco, Juan Ambrosioni, Felipe Garcia, Esteban Martínez, Alex Soriano, Josep Mallolas, Jose M Miro
[link url="http://www.aidsmap.com/news/apr-2020/covid-19-barcelona-first-cases-people-living-hiv-reported"]Aidsmap report[/link]
[link url="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(20)30111-9/fulltext"]The Lancet HIV letter[/link]
[link url="https://www.eacsociety.org/home/covid-19-and-hiv.html"]European AIDS Clinical Society statement[/link]