Study: HIV Diagnosis Does Not Change Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19

Recent research has found that hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have similar outcomes with and without an HIV diagnosis, including similar rates of mechanical ventilation and death.

Investigators identified 88 patients with diagnosed HIV and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in a New York City hospital system between March 12 and April 23, 2020. They collected data on baseline clinical characteristics, laboratory values, HIV status, treatment, and outcomes from this group and matched it with comparators. They then compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes, including death, mechanical ventilation, and hospital discharge, as well as cumulative incidence of death by HIV status.

Patients with HIV who were hospitalized with COVID-19 were found to have high proportions of HIV virologic control on antiretroviral therapy, and patients with HIV had higher proportions of smoking and comorbid illness than uninfected comparators. There was no difference in COVID-19 severity on admission by HIV status, and poor outcomes for hospitalized patients with HIV were frequent but similar to proportions in the comparator group. Specifically, 18% required mechanical ventilation and 21% died during follow-up, compared with 23% and 20%, respectively.

Based on these findings, the authors said there were no differences in adverse outcomes associated with HIV infection for hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

REFERENCE

Sigel K, Swartz T, Golden E, et al. Coronavirus 2019 and people living with human immunodeficiency virus: outcomes for hospitalized patients in New York City. Clin Infect Dis. 2020;71(11): 2933-2938. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa880