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Brief communication: COVID-19 in patients with HIV-a prospective, single-centre cohort study in Slovakia

Katarína Šimeková1, Yaroslav Syrota2,3, Martin Jozef Péč4

  • 1Department of Infectology and Travel Medicine, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava and University Hospital in Martin, Kollárova 2, 036 01, Martin, Slovakia. katarina.simekova@uniba.sk.

AIDS Research and Therapy
|June 6, 2026
PubMed

Insights

COVID-19 outcomes in people living with HIV (PLWH) on antiretroviral therapy were generally mild in Slovakia. This study found no clear predictors of severe COVID-19 in this small cohort.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • COVID-19 outcomes in people living with HIV (PLWH) are context-dependent.
  • Existing evidence on COVID-19 in PLWH is mixed.
  • Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is standard care for PLWH.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate COVID-19 outcomes in a cohort of PLWH on ART.
  • To identify potential clinical or HIV-related predictors of severe COVID-19 in PLWH.
  • To assess the impact of comorbidities and vaccination status on COVID-19 severity in PLWH.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective follow-up of 64 PLWH receiving ART at a tertiary university hospital in Martin, Slovakia (September 2020-September 2021).
  • Confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection using RT-PCR.
  • Analysis of clinical data, including age, HIV duration, CD4 cell count, viral suppression, comorbidities, and COVID-19 outcomes.

Main Results:

  • COVID-19 was diagnosed in 84.4% of participants and was generally mild, with no intensive care admissions or deaths.
  • No significant differences in age, HIV duration, CD4 count, or viral suppression were observed between PLWH with and without COVID-19.
  • Participants with COVID-19 were more likely to have comorbidities, but this did not lead to severe outcomes in this cohort.
  • Exploratory analysis showed no clear differences in short-term COVID-19 outcomes based on mRNA vaccination status.

Conclusions:

  • In this small, exploratory cohort of ART-treated PLWH in Slovakia, clear clinical or HIV-related predictors of COVID-19 outcomes were not identified.
  • The study was underpowered, and findings should be interpreted with caution.
  • Further research with larger cohorts is needed to confirm these findings and understand COVID-19 impact on PLWH.
Abstract

Keywords:
Antiretroviral therapyCD4COVID-19Central EuropeHIVSARS-CoV-2SlovakiaVaccination

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