Background: Women living with HIV (WLWH) are at increased risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers. Throughout Europe, there is great heterogeneity among guidelines for screening programmes, access to HPV testing and HPV vaccination. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize available data on screening and prevention measures for HPV-related anogenital cancers in WLWH across the WHO European Region (WER).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: According to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reports, women and migrants are more likely to have delayed HIV diagnosis (CD4 <350 cells/mm). As a follow-up to a previously published systematic review revealing a range of barriers to HIV testing among migrant women, the aim of the present study was to identify barriers to HIV testing from the perspective of service providers and to formulate possible interventions to improve access to HIV healthcare among migrants in Europe, with an emphasis on migrant women.
Methods: Between November 2021 and February 2022 an online survey, consisting of 20 questions, was forwarded to 178 stakeholders and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with migrant populations in 33 countries from the World Health Organization (WHO) European region.
Early diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and retention in care are cornerstones of better prognosis of people living with HIV (PLWH). The purpose of this study was to compare patients who discontinued antiretroviral treatment (ART) with those who were diagnosed late with HIV. In this retrospective analysis of PLWH under the care of one of the Infectious Diseases Clinics in Poland between 2020 and 2021, two sub-analyses were carried out.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: HIV transmission persists in Europe, with migrants accounting for over two-fifths of new diagnoses. Over half of all women in Europe are diagnosed late - particularly migrant women. Therefore, an updated understanding of migrant women's needs is crucial to inform inclusive and relevant HIV research, services, and policies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of this study was to analyse patients newly diagnosed with HIV who were originally admitted to hospitals with suspicion of COVID-19.
Methods: This was a retrospective case series undertaken at four sites. Only adults with new HIV diagnosis and COVID-19 exclusion hospitalized in 2020-2021 were included.
With the increasing lifespan of people living with HIV (PLWH), frailty and prefrailty are becoming topics which require more attention. The reciprocal interactions between chronic inflammation, comorbidities and frailty demonstrate the complex pathophysiology of frailty and its consequences. Female sex, HIV infection without antiretroviral treatment, reduced CD4 cell count, depression and cardiovascular disease are some of the risk factors for frailty among PLWH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground. With the life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLHIV) rapidly approaching that of the general population, cardiovascular health in this group is as relevant as ever. Adenovirus 36 (Adv36) is one of the few viruses suspected to be a causative factor in promoting obesity in humans, yet there is a lack of data on this infection in PLHIV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Psychol Health Well Being
August 2022
Effective antiretroviral treatment has increased the life expectancy of people living with HIV, and currently, the challenges of prominent importance appear to be mental health issues. This preregistered study among adults living with HIV/AIDS investigated the effectiveness of a brief self-affirmation intervention framed in terms of if-then plans (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArthropod-borne viral infections caused by dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) are prevalent in the same regions and are spread by the same mosquito type (Aedes) and have similar clinical manifestations. This study emphasized the challenges of diagnosing fever in a patient returning from a tropical area. We report a case of a 52-year-old patient who presented with fever, myalgia, and headache after travelling to Laos and Thailand.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCowpox is a rare zoonosis transmitted to humans mainly from cats. The disease usually causes skin lesions; however, the ocular form may lead to other serious complications. We describe a case of cowpox in a rare location of the upper eyelid of an immunocompetent male, which lead to necrosis of the upper eyelid, keratitis and leucomatous opacity, and the neovascularization of the cornea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical data suggest that during the current COVID-19 pandemic, children are less prone than adults to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our purpose was to determine the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 in children vs. adults during the 2020 pandemic in Warsaw, Poland, and to investigate whether RSV and/or influenza A/B infections were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Erysipelas and cellulitis are common, acute, bacterial infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The incidence of these infections is growing, and the recurrence rate is high. Effective antibiotic prophylaxis is available, but insufficient data exist on the risks factors for recurrent infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLow serum vitamin D levels are very common in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. In our cross-sectional study, we investigated the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and serum inflammation markers [C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cells (WBC), D-dimers, platelet count (PLT)] in 148 HIV-infected patients on combined antiretroviral therapy [28 on tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)] and 40 healthy controls. The controls were significantly older (56.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) are among the most important complications of decompensated liver cirrhosis. In clinical practice, new inflammation biomarkers are needed for the early diagnosis of SBP, as well-known biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), or peripheral blood white blood cell (WBC) count, lack the required specificity and sensitivity. The aim of the study was to evaluate the significance of heparin-binding protein (HBP) in comparison to CRP, PCT, WBC, and D-dimers in the diagnosis of SBP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Modern combined antiretroviral therapies (cART) allow to effectively suppress HIV-1 viral load, with the 90% virologic success rate, meeting the WHO target in most clinical settings. The aim of this study was to analyse antiretroviral treatment efficacy in Poland and to identify variables associated with virologic suppression.
M: Cross-sectional data on 5152 (56.
The aim of the article is to discuss issues associated with the occurrence of febrile illnesses in leisure and business travellers, with a particular emphasis on fevers of unknown origin (FUO). FUO, apart from diarrhoeas, respiratory tract infections and skin lesions, are one of the most common health problems in travellers to tropical and subtropical countries. FUO are manifestations of various diseases, typically of infectious or invasive aetiology.
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