Demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Ukrainian war refugees with HIV infection in the Slovak Republic

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...

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Main Authors: Ricardo Massmann, Kristína Doležalová, Lubomír Soják, Olena Samsonová, Danica Valkovičová Staneková, Ondrej Zahornacký, Pavol Jarčuška, Mária Záriš Vachalíková, Diana Vološinová, Ľubica Piesecká, Veronika Vahalová, Katarína Šimeková, Terézia Smiešková, Alexandra Bražinová, Ivy Kigen, Marek Malý, Ladislav Machala
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893924000814
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author Ricardo Massmann
Kristína Doležalová
Lubomír Soják
Olena Samsonová
Danica Valkovičová Staneková
Ondrej Zahornacký
Pavol Jarčuška
Mária Záriš Vachalíková
Diana Vološinová
Ľubica Piesecká
Veronika Vahalová
Katarína Šimeková
Terézia Smiešková
Alexandra Bražinová
Ivy Kigen
Marek Malý
Ladislav Machala
author_facet Ricardo Massmann
Kristína Doležalová
Lubomír Soják
Olena Samsonová
Danica Valkovičová Staneková
Ondrej Zahornacký
Pavol Jarčuška
Mária Záriš Vachalíková
Diana Vološinová
Ľubica Piesecká
Veronika Vahalová
Katarína Šimeková
Terézia Smiešková
Alexandra Bražinová
Ivy Kigen
Marek Malý
Ladislav Machala
author_sort Ricardo Massmann
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj-art-7c9e19cf14a6406193725f7fbfb28f252024-11-27T05:01:53ZengElsevierTravel Medicine and Infectious Disease1873-04422024-11-0162102764Demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Ukrainian war refugees with HIV infection in the Slovak RepublicRicardo Massmann0Kristína Doležalová1Lubomír Soják2Olena Samsonová3Danica Valkovičová Staneková4Ondrej Zahornacký5Pavol Jarčuška6Mária Záriš Vachalíková7Diana Vološinová8Ľubica Piesecká9Veronika Vahalová10Katarína Šimeková11Terézia Smiešková12Alexandra Bražinová13Ivy Kigen14Marek Malý15Ladislav Machala16HIV/AIDS Centre, Clinic of Infectious Diseases Akademika Ladislava Dérera, University Hospital Bratislava, Slovakia; Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava; Corresponding author. Námestie slobody 26, Staré Mesto, Bratislava, Slovakia.Institute of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, SlovakiaHIV/AIDS Centre, Clinic of Infectious Diseases Akademika Ladislava Dérera, University Hospital Bratislava, SlovakiaInfectious Diseases Specialist, Public Health Centre, Ministry of Health and HIV Ukraine, Kiev, UkraineNational Reference Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention at Slovak Medical University in Bratislava, SlovakiaDepartment of Infectology and Travel Medicine at the L. Pasteur University Hospital Košice, Slovakia; LF UPJŠ - Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Faculty of Medicine, SlovakiaDepartment of Infectology and Travel Medicine at the L. Pasteur University Hospital Košice, Slovakia; LF UPJŠ - Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Faculty of Medicine, SlovakiaRoosevelt University Hospital of Banská Bystrica, SlovakiaRoosevelt University Hospital of Banská Bystrica, SlovakiaClinic of Infectology University Hospital in Nitra, SlovakiaClinic of Infectology University Hospital in Nitra, SlovakiaClinic of Infectology and Travel Medicine in JFMED CU, Czech Republic; Martin University Hospital in Martin, SlovakiaPharmacy at the University Hospital Bratislava, Bratislava, SlovakiaClinic of Infectious Diseases Akademika Ladislava Dérera, University Hospital Bratislava, SlovakiaNational Institute of Public Health, Praha, Czech RepublicDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Faculty Hospital Bulovka, Prague, Czech RepublicThird Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty Hospital Bulovka, Prague, Czech RepublicBackground: 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.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893924000814HIVAIDSAntiretroviral therapySlovakiaRefugeesUkraine
spellingShingle Ricardo Massmann
Kristína Doležalová
Lubomír Soják
Olena Samsonová
Danica Valkovičová Staneková
Ondrej Zahornacký
Pavol Jarčuška
Mária Záriš Vachalíková
Diana Vološinová
Ľubica Piesecká
Veronika Vahalová
Katarína Šimeková
Terézia Smiešková
Alexandra Bražinová
Ivy Kigen
Marek Malý
Ladislav Machala
Demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Ukrainian war refugees with HIV infection in the Slovak Republic
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
HIV
AIDS
Antiretroviral therapy
Slovakia
Refugees
Ukraine
title Demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Ukrainian war refugees with HIV infection in the Slovak Republic
title_full Demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Ukrainian war refugees with HIV infection in the Slovak Republic
title_fullStr Demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Ukrainian war refugees with HIV infection in the Slovak Republic
title_full_unstemmed Demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Ukrainian war refugees with HIV infection in the Slovak Republic
title_short Demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Ukrainian war refugees with HIV infection in the Slovak Republic
title_sort demographic epidemiological and clinical characteristics of ukrainian war refugees with hiv infection in the slovak republic
topic HIV
AIDS
Antiretroviral therapy
Slovakia
Refugees
Ukraine
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893924000814
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