Possibility of Decreasing Incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Korea.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The number of newly diagnosed cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Korea, which had increased until 2019, has markedly decreased since the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic started. This study evaluated whether the decrease is due to a reduction in the incidence of HIV infection and/or delayed diagnosis during the pandemic.

Materials and methods

We reviewed the medical records of 587 newly diagnosed patients with HIV infection between February 2018 and January 2022 from four general hospitals, and their characteristics were compared between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The lapse time from infection to diagnosis was estimated using an HIV modeling tool.

Results

The estimated mean times to diagnosis were 5.68 years (95% confidenc

SUBMITTER: Lee M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10771950 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature