BACKGROUND: The Slovak Republic, an Eastern European country, borders Ukraine, which has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in Europe. This study aims to inform readers about the demographic characteristics of Ukrainian war refugees with HIV/AIDS seeking temporary protection status in Slovakia due to the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022. It focuses on their epidemiology, immunological profiles, co-infections, and treatment. DESIGN: Multicenter, retrospective study between March 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. METHODS: Data were collected from all Ukrainian patients with refugee status living with HIV or newly diagnosed, who presented to any of the five HIV/AIDS centers in Slovakia. Information was obtained through medical interviews, physical examinations, laboratory tests and medical reports from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health. RESULTS: From March 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, 141 Ukrainian refugees were included, mostly women (56.7 %, n = 80), with a median age of 41 years. The median CD4+ count was 680 cells/mL; 69.2 % (n = 97) had a viral load below 40 copies/mL. On arrival, 87.8 % (n = 123) were on ART, 90.2 % (n = 111) on dolutegravir. Coinfections included hepatitis C (31 %, n = 41), hepatitis B (12.5 %, n = 17), and tuberculosis (11.3 %, n = 16). Three died from AIDS complications. CONCLUSION: The study provides a detailed overview of the epidemiological, demographic, immunological, co-infection, and treatment characteristics of Ukrainian PLWHA displaced by the war to the Slovak republic. With the conflict ongoing, it is necessary to be prepared for more refugees in the coming months.

3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic; Department of Infectious Diseases Faculty Hospital Bulovka Prague Czech Republic

Clinic of Infectious Diseases Akademika Ladislava Dérera University Hospital Bratislava Slovakia

Clinic of Infectology and Travel Medicine in JFMED CU Czech Republic; Martin University Hospital in Martin Slovakia

Clinic of Infectology University Hospital in Nitra Slovakia

Department of Infectious Diseases Faculty Hospital Bulovka Prague Czech Republic

Department of Infectology and Travel Medicine at the L Pasteur University Hospital Košice Slovakia; LF UPJŠ Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice Faculty of Medicine Slovakia

HIV AIDS Centre Clinic of Infectious Diseases Akademika Ladislava Dérera University Hospital Bratislava Slovakia

HIV AIDS Centre Clinic of Infectious Diseases Akademika Ladislava Dérera University Hospital Bratislava Slovakia; 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine Comenius University Bratislava

Infectious Diseases Specialist Public Health Centre Ministry of Health and HIV Ukraine Kiev Ukraine

Institute of Epidemiology Faculty of Medicine Comenius University in Bratislava Slovakia

National Institute of Public Health Praha Czech Republic

National Reference Centre for HIV AIDS Prevention at Slovak Medical University in Bratislava Slovakia

Pharmacy at the University Hospital Bratislava Bratislava Slovakia

Roosevelt University Hospital of Banská Bystrica Slovakia

Travel Med Infect Dis. 2025 Jan-Feb;63:102791. doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2024.102791. PubMed

References provided by Crossref.org