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.
- Klíčová slova
- AIDS, Antiretroviral therapy, HIV, Refugees, Slovakia, Ukraine,
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- HIV infekce * epidemiologie farmakoterapie MeSH
- koinfekce epidemiologie MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- počet CD4 lymfocytů MeSH
- retrospektivní studie MeSH
- uprchlíci * statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- virová nálož MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- multicentrická studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Slovenská republika epidemiologie MeSH
- Ukrajina epidemiologie MeSH
OBJECTIVE: Over 480 000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in the Czech Republic since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including over 500 people with HIV. This study describes the demographics, characteristics, and management of Ukrainian refugees with HIV in the Czech Republic. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational, noninterventional study. METHODS: Ukrainian nationals registering at HIV centers in the Czech Republic with war refugee status were included. Data were collected from medical records between 1 March and 31 July 2022. The study was registered with the Czech State Institute for Drug Control, ID number 2301200000. RESULTS: Four hundred and eighty-two patients were included in the study. Most patients were female (69.5%; n = 335/482) with well-controlled HIV. The median [interquartile range] CD4 + cell count was 597 [397] cells/μl of blood, and 79.3% ( n = 361/455) of patients had HIV RNA <40 copies/ml. Coinfections of hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, and/or tuberculosis were reported for 17.4% ( n = 78/449), 9% ( n = 40/446) and 1.3% ( n = 6/446) of patients, respectively. In Ukraine, 85.7% ( n = 384/448) of patients had been receiving an integrase strand transfer inhibitor-based regimen and most (69.7%; n = 310/445) did not switch therapy upon arrival in the Czech Republic. CONCLUSION: Migration from Ukraine is changing the characteristics of HIV epidemiology in the Czech Republic. Ukrainian refugees with HIV have been provided with a high standard of medical care in the Czech Republic. Improved coordination between medical services within the Czech Republic and between countries in the European Union is necessary to optimize patient care.
- MeSH
- HIV infekce * epidemiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- retrospektivní studie MeSH
- tuberkulóza * MeSH
- uprchlíci * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika epidemiologie MeSH
- MeSH
- Corynebacterium diphtheriae izolace a purifikace MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- imunokompetence MeSH
- korynebakteriální infekce diagnóza mikrobiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- osteomyelitida diagnostické zobrazování mikrobiologie MeSH
- sepse diagnóza mikrobiologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- dopisy MeSH
- kazuistiky MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
