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Forero-Peña DA, Carrión-Nessi FS, Forero-Peña JL, Camejo-Ávila NA, Mendoza-Millán DL, Omaña-Ávila ÓD, Maricuto AL, Velásquez VL, Mejía-Bernard MD, Rodriguez-Saavedra CM, Marcano-Rojas MV, Contreras Y, Guerra LJ, Alvarado MF, Carballo M, Caldera J, Guevara RN, Redondo MC, Landaeta ME. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with HIV: a cross-sectional study in Caracas, Venezuela. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:87. [PMID: 38225550 PMCID: PMC10789023 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08967-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted multiple health services, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, care, and treatment services, jeopardizing the achievement of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 90-90-90 global target. While there are limited studies assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Latin America, there are none, to our knowledge, in Venezuela. This study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among PLHIV seen at the outpatient clinic of a reference hospital in Venezuela. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study among PLHIV aged 18 years and over seen at the Infectious Diseases Department of the University Hospital of Caracas, Venezuela between March 2021 and February 2022. RESULTS A total of 238 PLHIV were included in the study. The median age was 43 (IQR 31-55) years, and the majority were male (68.9%). Most patients (88.2%, n = 210) came for routine check-ups, while 28 (11.3%) were newly diagnosed. The majority of patients (96.1%) were on antiretroviral therapy (ART), but only 67.8% had a viral load test, with almost all (95.6%) being undetectable. Among those who attended regular appointments, 11.9% reported missing at least one medical consultation, and 3.3% reported an interruption in their ART refill. More than half of the patients (55.5%) had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while the rest expressed hesitancy to get vaccinated. Most patients with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy were male (65.1%), younger than 44 years (57.5%), employed (47.2%), and had been diagnosed with HIV for less than one year (33%). However, no statistically significant differences were found between vaccinated patients and those with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Older age was a risk factor for missing consultations, while not having an alcoholic habit was identified as a protective factor against missing consultations. CONCLUSION This study found that the COVID-19 pandemic had a limited impact on adherence to medical consultations and interruptions in ART among PLHIV seen at the University Hospital of Caracas, Venezuela.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Forero-Peña
- Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela.
- "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.
| | - Fhabián S Carrión-Nessi
- Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.
- "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.
| | - José L Forero-Peña
- Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
| | | | - Daniela L Mendoza-Millán
- Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
- "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Óscar D Omaña-Ávila
- Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
- "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Andrea L Maricuto
- Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Viledy L Velásquez
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Mario D Mejía-Bernard
- Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
- "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | | | | | - Yoesmir Contreras
- Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
| | - Luis J Guerra
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - María F Alvarado
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Martín Carballo
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Jocays Caldera
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Rafael N Guevara
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - María C Redondo
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - María E Landaeta
- Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
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