HIV Diagnosis and the Clinical Course of COVID-19 Among Patients Seeking Care Within the New York City Public Hospital System During the Initial Pandemic Peak

Reports conflict on how HIV infection influences the clinical course of COVID-19. The New York City (NYC) public hospital system provides care for over 14,000 people with HIV, was central in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is therefore in a unique position to evaluate the intersection of these concurrent infections. Retrospective chart review of patients presenting to NYC Health and Hospitals (NYC H+H) diagnosed with COVID-19 infection from March 1, 2020, through April 28, 2020, compared people living with HIV (PLWH) and a propensity-matched (PM) control group of patients without HIV to evaluate associations between HIV status and COVID-19 outcomes. Two hundred thirty-four PLWH presented for COVID-19 testing and 110 (47%) were diagnosed with COVID-19. Among 17,413 patients with COVID-19 and without HIV, 1:n nearest neighbor propensity score matching identified 194 patients matched on age, sex, race, and any comorbidity. In the sample with COVID-19 (N = 304), PLWH (9.1%) had lower rates of mortality than controls [19.1%; PM odds ratio (PM-OR): 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.19-0.86]. Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients (N = 179), HIV infection was associated with lower rates of mechanical ventilation (PM-OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.11-0.84) and mortality (PM-OR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0. 17-0.95). In the extended pandemic period through April 2021, aggregate data by HIV status suggested elevated hospitalization and mortality rates in PLWH versus people without HIV. These results suggest that the direct biological impacts of the HIV virus do not negatively influence COVID-19-related outcomes when controlling for comorbidity and demographic variables.

Automated summary

Data from a study on patients in the New York City Health and Hospitals system showed that individuals living with HIV had lower mortality rates and were less likely to require mechanical ventilation when diagnosed with COVID-19 compared to those without HIV. The study suggested that controlling for comorbidities and demographic variables, the direct biological impacts of HIV do not have a negative influence on COVID-19 outcomes.