Early diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and retention in care are cornerstones of better prognosis of people living with HIV (PLWH). The purpose of this study was to compare patients who discontinued antiretroviral treatment (ART) with those who were diagnosed late with HIV. In this retrospective analysis of PLWH under the care of one of the Infectious Diseases Clinics in Poland between 2020 and 2021, two sub-analyses were carried out. One comparing patients who relinked to care after treatment interruption ("Group A") with those who had late HIV diagnosis ("Group B"), another comparing group A to those who were adherent to ART ("Group C"). 215 patients were included in this study (Group A = 47, Group B = 53, Group C = 115). Those who discontinued ART more often used actively drugs (p = 0.001) in comparison to those with late HIV diagnosis. In both bivariate and multivariable analysis migrants were more often diagnosed late with HIV than interrupted ART (p = 0.004 and 0.015, respectively). In the second analysis, in the multivariable analysis female sex was not associated with treatment interruption, whereas active drug usage was. People using drugs have a higher risk of ART interruption. Migrants are more at risk of late HIV diagnosis. Adequate interventions should be made towards both groups.
Keywords: ART discontinuation; addictions; late HIV diagnosis.