The features of HIV and SARS-CoV-2-coinfection in a pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 is known to undertake a severe course in several groups of patients. The review presents the latest data on the main features of COVID-19 course in HIV patients. People living with HIV, have not been found to be at a higher risk for acquiring COVID-19 and the disease runs a similar course compared to the general population in HIV patients on continuous antiretroviral therapy (ART) with a suppressed viral load and CD4+-T-lymphocytes count > 200cells/μl. Fewer than expected HIV patients have been reported to be hospitalised, this leads to hypothesize that infection may be majorly asymptomatic in this group of patients owing to their weak immune response. The patient's use of ART might also explain the comparatively milder disease course of COVID-19 seen in patients with HIV/SARS-CoV-2 coinfection. While ART use cannot be considered to be a protective factor against contracting the SARS-CoV-2, researchers assume that the therapy could stabilize the immune response in coinfected patients and thus prevent progression of the disease to the severe forms.