The Impact of COVID-19 on HIV Care in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2019-2021: Disparities by Age and Gender

Variability in life expectancy among people with HIV in Brazil by gender and sexual orientation

INTRODUCTION

In Brazil, though Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) is available to all, the benefits may not be experienced uniformly. We projected Life Expectancy (LE) for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in care as currently observed and estimated the impact of guideline-concordant care.

METHODS

Using a microsimulation model, we projected LE for a cohort of PLHIV and for four population groups: cisgender Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), cisgender Men who have Sex with Women (MSW), Cisgender Women (CGW), and Transgender Women (TGW). Cohort data from Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases/Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (INI/Fiocruz) informed model parameters. We modeled five scenarios: 1) Current care: ART initiation, adherence, and retention in care as currently observed, 2) Guideline-concordant care: immediate ART initiation, full adherence to treatment, and consistent retention in care, 3) Immediate ART initiation with observed adherence to treatment and retention in care, 4) Full adherence to treatment with observed timing of ART initiation and retention in care, and 5) Consistent retention in care with observed timing of ART initiation and adherence.

RESULTS

With current care, LE from age 15 would be 45.9, 44.4, 54.2, and 42.3 years, for MSM, MSW, CGW, and TGW. With guideline-concordant care, LE would be 54.2, 54.4, 63.1, and 53.2 years, for MSM, MSW, CGW and TGW, with TGW experiencing the greatest potential increase in LE (10.9 years). When investigating the components of care separately, MSW and CGW would gain most LE with immediate ART initiation, whereas for MSM and TGW consistent retention in care would be most impactful.

CONCLUSIONS

In settings like INI/Fiocruz, MSW and CGW would benefit most from interventions focused on earlier diagnosis and linkage to care, whereas TGW and MSM would benefit from interventions to sustain engagement in care. Assessment of the HIV care continuum for specific populations should inform care priorities.

Frailty and health-related quality of life among older people living with HIV pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic onset: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Antiretroviral therapy increased the survival and life expectancy of People living With HIV (PWH). Frailty-related syndromes among older PWH (aged 50+ years) may affect their Health-related Quality of Life (HQoL). Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted health-related outcomes. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty among older PWH, and to explore associations of HQoL with the study assessment period and frailty status.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study conducted pre- (23-Mar-2019 to 5-Mar-2020) and post-COVID-19 pandemic onset (23-Jun-2021 to 5-May-2022), among older PWH at INI-Fiocruz, the largest cohort of PWH in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We measured frailty using Fried assessment, consisting of five domains: unintentional weight loss; self-reported exhaustion, weakness, slow walking speed, low physical activity. HQoL was assessed using the ACTG SF-21, which contains 21 questions divided into 8 domains. We used Chi-Square test, Fisher's exact test, Kruskal-Wallis and ranksum test for comparisons.

RESULTS

We included 250 older PWH: 109 (43.6 %) pre- and 141 (56.4 %) post-COVID-19 pandemic onset. Median age was 60-years (IQR: 55‒64). Most self-identified as cisgender men 152 (60.8 %), Pardo/Black 146 (58.4 %), with completed secondary education or less 181 (72.7 %) and low income 132 (52.8 %). Overall, prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty were 9.2 % (95 % CI: 8.1‒10.3) and 61.6 % (95 % CI: 54.0‒69.2). Prevalence of frailty in the pre- and pos-COVID-19 pandemic periods were 7.3 % and 10.6 % (p = 0.66). HQoL scores were lower among participants with frailty compared to those with non-frailty and pre-frailty in all eight domains, and among those included in the post-COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 period for four domains.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed low prevalence of frailty, but high prevalence of pre-frailty among older PWH. Frailty status did not differ according to the COVID-19 assessment period. Assessment of frailty and HQoL should be incorporated in clinical practice for older PWH. Programs to reverse or prevent frailty should be implemented within the public health system.

Mpox severity and associated hospitalizations among people with HIV and related immunosuppression in Brazil

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to analyze characteristics of mpox hospitalization in a Brazilian cohort, further exploring the impact of HIV on mpox-related outcomes and hospitalization.

DESIGN

We conducted a descriptive analysis, comparing characteristics of individuals diagnosed with mpox according to hospitalization and HIV status, and described the mpox cases among those living with HIV.

METHODS

This was a single-center, prospective cohort study conducted at a major infectious diseases referral center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that enrolled participants older than 18 years of age diagnosed with mpox. Information was collected on standardized forms, including data on sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical and laboratory characteristics. For comparisons, we used chi-squared, Fisher's exact and the Moods median tests whenever appropriate.

RESULTS

From June to December, 2022, we enrolled 418 individuals diagnosed with mpox, of whom 52% were people with HIV (PWH). PWH presented more frequently with fever, anogenital lesions and proctitis. The overall hospitalization rate was 10.5% ( n  = 43), especially for pain control. Among hospitalized participants, PWH had more proctitis and required invasive support. Mpox severity was related to poor HIV continuum of care outcomes and low CD4 + cell counts. All deaths ( n  = 2) occurred in PWH with CD4 + less than 50 cells/μl.

CONCLUSION

HIV-related immunosuppression likely impacts mpox clinical outcomes. This is of special concern in settings of poor adherence and late presentation to care related to socioeconomic inequalities, such as Brazil. The HIV continuum of care must be taken into account when responding to the mpox outbreak.