Infect Chemother.  2023 Dec;55(4):451-459. 10.3947/ic.2023.0056.

Possibility of Decreasing Incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Korea

• Lee M
• Park WB
• Kim ES
• Kim Y
• Park SW
• Lee E
• Oh Md
• Kim NJ
• Kim HB
• Song KH
• Choe PG
• Kang CK
• Lee CM
• Choi Y
• Moon SM
• Choi SJ
• Jeon J
• Bang J

• KMID: 2550469
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2023.0056

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 prepandemic 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% confidence interval [CI]: 4.45 - 6.51 years) and 5.41 years (95% CI: 4.09 - 7.03 years) before and during the pandemic, respectively (P = 0.016). The proportion of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-defining illnesses, expected to visit hospitals regardless of the pandemic, decreased from 17.2% before the pandemic to 11.9% during the pandemic (P = 0.086).
Conclusion
The decrease in the number of newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection in Korea might have resulted from an actual decrease in the incidence of HIV infection rather than a worsening of underdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis.

Keyword

HIV; Retention in care; COVID-19; Incidence; Republic of Korea