Living with HIV during Covid-19: knowledge and worry about Covid-19, adherence to Covid-19-related precautions, and HIV health outcomes

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has been profound impacts on mental and physical health of individuals with chronic diseases. Thus, it is important to understand the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on people living with HIV. We aimed to assess the association between Covid-19-related knowledge and worry, HIV-related health practices and outcomes, and adherence to precautions related to Covid-19, and possible associations of these factors with HIV treatment outcomes (ART adherence and viral load). A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October 2020 and February 2021 among 291 PLWH at two large university hospital HIV clinics in Izmir, Turkey. Additionally, the most recent HIV-RNA load, CD4 count was recorded using medical records. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine predictors of self-reported adherence to COVID-19-related precautions, ART adherence and undetectable viral load. Covid-19-related worry, Covid-19-related knowledge, and ART adherence were significant predictors of adherence to Covid-19-related precautions. Furthermore, adherence to Covid-19-related precautions was a significant predictor of both ART adherence and undetectable viral load. Findings provide a unique aspect of the interrelations of Covid and living with HIV. Since health behaviors and outcomes for Covid-19 and HIV seem to be interrelated, treatment practices and interventions that address these simultaneously may enhance their efficacy.