Short Communication: HIV Viral Load Trends During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in a Reference Center for HIV in Rome, Italy

Latini, Alessandra; Donà, Maria Gabriella; Pontone, Martina; Ancona, Carola; Foracappa, Silvia; Morrone, Aldo; Zaccarelli, Mauro

doi:10.1089/aid.2021.0044

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our findings are consistent with another Australian study involving an online survey for 153 PLHIV in Victoria, which reported 98% of PLHIV having self-reported access to ART during the pandemic [ 9 ]. Moreover, this study describes no change in the proportion of controlled viral load in Melbourne, which is in alignment with the findings in Rome, Italy [ 8 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…One study reported no significant difference in the number of ART collection visits in South African clinics, while another study reported a 23.1% reduction in the number of patients with ART scripts during the pandemic in Italy; however, this might be due to different COVID-19 situations and restrictions across countries [ 6 , 7 ]. In terms of impact on the viral load, a study conducted in Rome described no significant change in the proportion of undetectable viral load during the lockdown [ 8 ]. In Australia, a study reported that 98% of PLHIV in Victoria had self-reported access to ART; however, there are currently no published studies using a direct measure from medical clinics on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions on medication access and viral load control of PLHIV in high-income countries [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Access to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy among People Living with HIV in Melbourne during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Lee

Chow

Aguirre

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The social measures taken to control the COVID-19 pandemic can potentially disrupt the management of HIV. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of the Australian COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV in Melbourne. Using data from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC), we assessed the changes in rates of ART postal delivery, controlled viral load, and ART dispensing from 2018 to 2020. The percentage of ART delivered by postage from the MSHC pharmacy was calculated weekly. The percentage of people living with HIV with a controlled viral load (≤200 copies/mL) was calculated monthly. We calculated a yearly Medication Possession Ratio (MPR). The average percentage of HIV ART dispensed through postage for the years 2018, 2019, and 2020 was 3.7% (371/10,023), 3.6% (380/10,685), and 14% (1478/10,765), respectively (Ptrend < 0.0001). Of the 3115 people living with HIV, the average MPR for 2018, 2019, and 2020 was 1.05, 1.06, and 1.14, respectively (Ptrend = 0.28). The average percentage of people with an HIV viral load of <200 copies/mL for the years 2018, 2019, and 2020 was 97.6% (2271/2327), 98.0% (2390/2438), and 99.2% (2048/2064), respectively (Ptrend < 0.0001). This study found that the proportion of controlled viral load and access to ART of people living with HIV in Melbourne was largely unaffected by the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. This suggests that some of the services provided by the MSHC during the pandemic, such as HIV ART postal delivery, may assist long-term HIV management.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Access to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy among People Living with HIV in Melbourne during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Lee

Chow

Aguirre

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Viral Load Suppression in People Living with HIV Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brooklyn, New York

Cocorpus,

Holman,

Yager

et al. 2024

AIDS Behav

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Impact of Multicomponent Support Strategies on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Virologic Suppression Rates During Coronavirus Disease 2019: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

Spinelli

Tourneau

Glidden

et al. 2022

Clinical Infectious Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background After COVID-19 shelter-in-place (SIP) orders, viral suppression (VS) rates initially decreased within a safety-net HIV clinic in San Francisco, particularly among people living with HIV (PLWH) experiencing homelessness. We sought to understand if (1) proactive outreach to provide social services, (2) scaling up of in-person visits, and (3) expansion of housing programs could reverse this decline. Methods We assessed VS 24 months before and 13 months after SIP using mixed-effects logistic regression, followed by interrupted time series (ITS) analysis to examine changes in the rate of viral suppression per month. Loss to follow-up (LTFU) was assessed via active clinic tracing. Results Data from 1,816 patients were included, with a median age of 51 years, 12% were female, 14% experiencing unstable housing/homelessness. The adjusted odds of VS increased 1.34-fold following institution of the multi-component strategies (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.21-1.46). In the ITS analysis, the odds of VS continuously increased 1.05-fold per month over the post-intervention period (95% CI=1.01-1.08). Among PLWH previously experiencing homelessness who successfully received housing support, the odds of VS were 1.94-fold higher (95% CI=1.05-3.59). The one-year loss to follow-up rate was 2.8 per 100-person-years (95% CI=2.2-3.5). Conclusions After an initial destabilization in VS following SIP orders, the VS rate increased following institution of the multi-component strategies, with a lower LFTU rate compared to prior years. Maintaining in-person care for underserved patients, with flexible telemedicine options, along with provision of social services and permanent expansion of housing programs, will be needed to support VS among underserved populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

show abstract

Short Communication: HIV Viral Load Trends During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in a Reference Center for HIV in Rome, Italy

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

Access to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy among People Living with HIV in Melbourne during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Access to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy among People Living with HIV in Melbourne during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Viral Load Suppression in People Living with HIV Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brooklyn, New York

Impact of Multicomponent Support Strategies on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Virologic Suppression Rates During Coronavirus Disease 2019: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About