Late presentations among HIV-infected patients

Evaluation of the late presentation and associated factors of people living with HIV in Turkey

“…Overall, the findings of this study were in accordance, in many respects, with those of the most recent HIV studies reporting late presentation rates in Turkey, and with the 2021 HIV surveillance statistics of the WHO European Center Sub‐region, which includes Turkey 37–42 . Consistent with recently published local data and latest Turkish national HIV statistics, there was a strong male predominance (93.7%) in the current study indicating a male to female ratio (14.9) far exceeding that in Central Europe (5.1), the WHO European Sub‐region with the highest male/female ratio in 2021 37–43 . This is because Turkey is in the early phase of the HIV epidemic.…”

“…42 In Turkey, there has been an increasing trend both in the number of newly diagnosed HIV-infected individuals and the rates of MSM, in the last 10 years. [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] HIV was mostly transmitted through sex between men (54.3%) in the present study in contrast with the latest available national data (1985-mid-November 2022) in Turkey, where heterosexual contact was the leading route of HIV transmission (30.2%) followed by homosexual/bisexual relationship (13.8%). 43 The difference between our results and national data may be explained by the changing profile of PLHIVs over time in Turkey and the lower percentage unknown HIV transmission in this study (25%) than in national data (55%).…”

“…[37][38][39][40][41][42] Consistent with recently published local data and latest Turkish national HIV statistics, there was a strong male predominance (93.7%) in the current study indicating a male to female ratio (14.9) far exceeding that in Central Europe (5.1), the WHO European Subregion with the highest male/female ratio in 2021. [37][38][39][40][41][42][43] This is because Turkey is in the early phase of the HIV epidemic. The percentages of women who presented late and with advanced disease were higher than among non-LPs in the present study.…”

“…According to the latest available data, out of the 36.630 individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS between 1985 and mid‐November 2022 in Turkey, >8% were identified in 2022 43 . Furthermore, the percentage of patients diagnosed with a CD4 count <350 cells/mm³ which was as high as 69% in the first decade of the 2000s remains high (46.7%−50.7%) despite a decrease in recent years 34–41 . Therefore, timely diagnosis and treatment of HIV‐infected individuals is a public health priority.…”

“…43 Furthermore, the percentage of patients diagnosed with a CD4 count <350 cells/mm³ which was as high as 69% in the first decade of the 2000s remains high (46.7%−50.7%) despite a decrease in recent years. [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] Therefore, timely diagnosis and treatment of HIV-infected individuals is a public health priority. Delayed treatment is associated with reduced effectiveness, worse clinical outcomes, higher risk of viral spread, and increased utilization of healthcare resources.…”