Multi-Center Study of Outcomes Among Persons with HIV who Presented to US Emergency Departments with suspected SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Background: There is a need to characterize patients with HIV with suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARs-CoV-2).

Setting: Multicenter registry of patients from 116 emergency departments in 27 US states.

Methods: Planned secondary analysis of patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2, with (n=415) and without (n=25,306) HIV. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patient information and clinical characteristics by SARS-CoV-2 and HIV status. Unadjusted and multivariable models were used to explore factors associated with death, intubation, and hospital length of stay. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate survival by SARS-CoV-2 and HIV infection status.

Results: Patients with both SARS-CoV-2 and HIV and patients with SARS-CoV-2 but without HIV had similar admission rates (62.7% versus 58.6%, p=0.24), hospitalization characteristics (e.g. rates of admission to the intensive care unit from the ED [5.0% versus 6.3%, p=0.45] and intubation [10% versus 13.3%, p=0.17]), and rates of death (13.9% versus 15.1%, p=0.65). They also had a similar cumulative risk of death (log-rank p=0.72). However, patients with both HIV and SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to patients with HIV but without SAR-CoV-2 had worsened outcomes, including increased mortality (13.9% versus 5.1%, p<0.01, log rank p<0.0001) and their deaths occurred sooner (median 11.5 days versus 34 days, p<0.01).

Conclusion: Among ED patients with HIV, clinical outcomes associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection are not worse when compared to patients without HIV, but SARS-CoV-2 infection increased risk of death in patients with HIV.