Introduction The life expectancy of HIV-infected patients has been increased by highly effective therapies. People living with HIV (PLWH) in Romania are exposed to age-related comorbidities occurring earlier than in uninfected individuals. Multidisciplinary care is required to maintain the general health and quality of life in these patients. Currently, the communication among different specialties needs to be enhanced and formalized. Methods A panel consisting of 8 Romanian experts in infectious diseases, cardio-metabolic, bone, and kidney diseases and psychology met in May 2019 in Bucharest Romania to discuss the need to evaluate and monitor the most prevalent comorbidities in PLWH. The meeting resulted in practical guidance on the management of several non-infectious associated diseases. The algorithms were endorsed by the Society for Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS, Romania. Results The consensus statement offers practical guidance on how to assess and monitor associated diseases in adult PLWH. The recommendations are grouped for each cluster of comorbidities and are based on international guidelines and clinical experience, including landmarks for referral of PLWH to cardiology, endocrinology, nephrology specialist or clinical psychologist for additional investigations and adequate treatment. Specific indications for diagnosis or treatment were beyond the scope of this consensus. Conclusions Screening for associated diseases and adequate management are required to maintain the overall health status of PLWH. When implemented in clinical practice, the recommended algorithms should be used in addition to diagnosis and treatment guidelines and protocols. The infectious diseases specialist plays a key role in coordinating the overall treatment strategy and working within the multidisciplinary team.

Despite initial suboptimal ART, a significant proportion of patients subsequently treated with a lopinavir/ritonavir based regimen remained on this therapy for up to nine years.

Introduction The purpose of our study was to evaluate clinical and pathological characteristics as well as treatment outcomes in HIV-infected patients with disseminated tuberculosis from the Regional HIV/AIDS Center Constanța, Romania, and to determine associated risk factors.Methods We analyzed HIV-infected adults diagnosed with disseminated tuberculosis (TB) over the past two years, monitored in the Regional HIV/AIDS Center Constanța.Results Conclusion In our study, disseminated tuberculosis appeared to be a common pattern of evolution of HIV-TB co-infection (38%). Sputum smear positivity was low and chest X-ray images did not follow a typical pattern. HIV-TB co-infected patients with CD4 lymphocyte cell count <50 cells/μL were more likely to have disseminated TB. The severity of cases, proved by a high mortality rate, requires consideration of this diagnosis early in patients with advanced AIDS, even if laboratory investigations are not suggestive.

Sleep disorders commonly occur in chronic diseases and are a great impairment on the quality of life. The current study aims to characterize the sleep problems of a group of Romanian HIV positive patients. A cross sectional study assessed sleep disorders by a series of self-report questionnaires: STOP-BANG, Epworth Sleep Questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Demographic data, antiretroviral therapy, Lymphocytes CD4 levels were collected from medical records. Exclusion criteria were illiteracy, severe neurocognitive dysfunction and depression. We included 102 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus, age between 22 and 50, sex ratio M/F=1.17. Reported conditions related to sleep disorders were: smoking (50%), hypertension (18%), obesity (6%) and snoring (7%). The STOP-BANG scale indicated 19% intermediate risk and 2% high risk of sleep apnea. According to Epworth score, daytime sleepiness was found in 18% of patients, 2% of them were dangerously sleepy. The average global score of Pittsburg Sleep Questionnaire is indicative of poor sleep quality in 42% cases. No correlation of sleep scores with antiretroviral regimens was found. Sleep problems with negative impact on daily functioning are frequent

Objective To identify carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19) and to determine whether they had different risk factors for the acquisition of CRE than patients without COVID-19. Methods This retrospective single-centre, case–control study enrolled patients with and without COVID-19. The demographic, clinical, infection, colonization and mortality data were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 38 patients with COVID-19 and 26 patients without COVID-19 were enrolled. The majority of isolates detected in COVID-19 patients were Klebsiella spp. Leukopenia at admission (odds ratio [OR] 4.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37, 16.10), invasive mechanical ventilation (OR 5.74; 95% CI 1.07, 30.63), carbapenem treatment (OR 5.09; 95% CI 1.21, 21.27) and corticosteroid treatment (OR 7.06; 95% CI 1.53, 32.39) were independent risk factors for CRE acquisition in COVID-19 patients. Intensive care unit (ICU) mortality was significantly higher in COVID-19 patients compared with patients without COVID-19 (OR 20.62; 95% CI 5.50, 77.23). Length of ICU stay increased the risk of death in patients with COVID-19 (subdistribution hazard ratio 3.81; 95% CI 1.33, 10.92). Conclusion CRE strains were more common in patients with COVID-19 and they had different risks for CRE compared with patients without COVID-19.