The serious threat of late presenters HIV-infected patients in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Pierluigi Brugnaro; Erika Morelli; Francesca Cattelan; Andrea Petrucci; Francesco Colombo; Sara Caputo; Licia Laurino; Sandro Panese

doi:10.53854/liim-3001-14

The serious threat of late presenters HIV-infected patients in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Infez Med. 2022 Mar 1;30(1):119-123. doi: 10.53854/liim-3001-14. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Pierluigi Brugnaro¹, Erika Morelli¹, Francesca Cattelan¹, Andrea Petrucci¹, Francesco Colombo¹, Sara Caputo¹, Licia Laurino², Sandro Panese¹

Affiliations

¹ Malattie Infettive, Ospedale Civile "SS. Giovanni e Paolo", Castelli - Venezia, Italy.
² Servizio di Anatomia Patologica, Ospedale "dell'Angelo", Mestre - Venezia, Italy.

Abstract

The impact of current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the healthcare services had serious consequences, especially for the most fragile populations such as HIV-positive subjects. In the period April to September 2020 we reported four cases of HIV-infected late presenters with an AIDS-defining life-threatening condition that, due to the difficult access to the hospital during the pandemic, were characterized by a delayed HIV recognition and institution of correct treatment. Even after two decades of highly active antiretroviral therapy late presenters HIV-infected patients still represent a serious clinical challenge.

Keywords: AIDS; COVID-19; late presenters; opportunistic infections.

Publication types

Case Reports