Display options
Share it on

medRxiv. 2021 Dec 08; doi: 10.1101/2021.12.07.21267296.

Racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 disease incidence independent of comorbidities, among people with HIV in the US.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences

R A Bender Ignacio, A E Shapiro, R M Nance, B M Whitney, Jac Delaney, L Bamford, D Wooten, M Karris, W C Mathews, H N Kim, S E Van Rompaey, J C Keruly, G Burkholder, S Napravnik, K H Mayer, J Jacobson, M S Saag, R D Moore, J J Eron, A L Willig, K A Christopoulos, J Martin, P W Hunt, H M Crane, M M Kitahata, E Cachay,

PMID: 34909782 PMCID: PMC8669849 DOI: 10.1101/2021.12.07.21267296

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To define the incidence of clinically-detected COVID-19 in people with HIV (PWH) in the US and evaluate how racial and ethnic disparities, comorbidities, and HIV-related factors contribute to risk of COVID-19.

DESIGN: Observational study within the CFAR Network of Integrated Clinical Systems cohort in 7 cities during 2020.

METHODS: We calculated cumulative incidence rates of COVID-19 diagnosis among PWH in routine care by key characteristics including race/ethnicity, current and lowest CD4 count, and geographic area. We evaluated risk factors for COVID-19 among PWH using relative risk regression models adjusted with disease risk scores.

RESULTS: Among 16,056 PWH in care, of whom 44.5% were Black, 12.5% were Hispanic, with a median age of 52 years (IQR 40-59), 18% had a current CD4 count < 350, including 7% < 200; 95.5% were on antiretroviral therapy, and 85.6% were virologically suppressed. Overall in 2020, 649 PWH were diagnosed with COVID-19 for a rate of 4.94 cases per 100 person-years. The cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was 2.4-fold and 1.7-fold higher in Hispanic and Black PWH respectively, than non-Hispanic White PWH. In adjusted analyses, factors associated with COVID-19 included female sex, Hispanic or Black identity, lowest historical CD4 count <350 (proxy for CD4 nadir), current low CD4/CD8 ratio, diabetes, and obesity.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the presence of structural racial inequities above and beyond medical comorbidities increased the risk of COVID-19 among PWHPWH with immune exhaustion as evidenced by lowest historical CD4 or current low CD4:CD8 ratio had greater risk of COVID-19.

References

  1. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2021 Mar;34(2):121-129 - PubMed
  2. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jan 23;72(1):9-14 - PubMed
  3. Ann Epidemiol. 2020 Jul;47:37-44 - PubMed
  4. BMJ Evid Based Med. 2021 Dec;26(6):279-284 - PubMed
  5. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2013 Feb;22(2):122-9 - PubMed
  6. Lancet HIV. 2021 Nov;8(11):e690-e700 - PubMed
  7. Clin Infect Dis. 2012 Jan 1;54(1):141-7 - PubMed
  8. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2021 Mar 1;86(3):297-304 - PubMed
  9. Am J Epidemiol. 2004 Apr 1;159(7):702-6 - PubMed
  10. J Infect Dis. 2020 Oct 13;222(10):1592-1595 - PubMed
  11. Am J Epidemiol. 2011 Sep 1;174(5):613-20 - PubMed
  12. Cell Mol Immunol. 2020 May;17(5):541-543 - PubMed
  13. JAMA. 2019 Jul 9;322(2):113-114 - PubMed
  14. Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jun;105(6):1346-53 - PubMed
  15. Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 2021 Jan;16(1):63-73 - PubMed
  16. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2012 Feb;26(2):73-80 - PubMed
  17. J Int AIDS Soc. 2020 Nov;23(11):e25639 - PubMed
  18. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Sep 1;3(9):e2019933 - PubMed
  19. Am Psychol. 2013 May-Jun;68(4):197-209 - PubMed
  20. Circulation. 2014 Jun 24;129(25 Suppl 2):S49-73 - PubMed
  21. Lancet HIV. 2021 Jan;8(1):e24-e32 - PubMed
  22. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Aug 21;69(33):1133-1138 - PubMed
  23. J Infect Dis. 2020 Aug 17;222(6):890-893 - PubMed
  24. J Community Health. 2017 Oct;42(5):844-853 - PubMed
  25. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2019 Feb;28(2):140-147 - PubMed
  26. Nat Commun. 2020 Nov 12;11(1):5749 - PubMed
  27. Curr HIV Res. 2006 Jan;4(1):97-106 - PubMed
  28. Diabetes Care. 2021 Sep;44(9):1916-1923 - PubMed
  29. Ann Epidemiol. 2020 Dec;52:46-53.e2 - PubMed
  30. J Infect Dis. 2021 Dec 1;224(11):1810-1820 - PubMed
  31. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016 Feb 05;65(4):77-82 - PubMed
  32. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jun 15;72(12):e1021-e1029 - PubMed
  33. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 Feb 02;9(2): - PubMed
  34. AIDS Behav. 2021 Jan;25(1):1-8 - PubMed
  35. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2021 Jan/Feb;27 Suppl 1, COVID-19 and Public Health: Looking Back, Moving For:S39-S42 - PubMed
  36. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2016 Aug 1;72(4):437-43 - PubMed
  37. Ann Intern Med. 2009 May 5;150(9):604-12 - PubMed
  38. Spat Spatiotemporal Epidemiol. 2020 Aug;34:100355 - PubMed
  39. Obes Rev. 2020 Nov;21(11):e13128 - PubMed
  40. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2020 Oct;34(10):417-424 - PubMed
  41. Int J Epidemiol. 2008 Oct;37(5):948-55 - PubMed

Publication Types

Grant support