COVID-19 Coexisting With the Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Case Report

Abstract

The newly discovered severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has impacted the world dramatically, forcing the medical community to quickly and effectively find ways to manage coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The COVID-19 pandemic has shown many similarities to the human immunodeficiency virus pandemic in 1981, from the fear of treating patients for a virus we have little knowledge of, to analyzing how the levels of CD4+ are affected in both diseases. Declining numbers of CD4+ levels are classically seen with HIV patients, however, given the immune response of our bodies, these levels have also been seen to decrease during an active COVID-19 infection. Besides, there is speculation that people living with HIV are at a higher risk for mortality if infected with SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, the interaction of these two viruses can create a syndemic culture, and thus, the need to monitor and treat patients with human immunodeficiency virus and COVID-19 cautiously.

Keywords: cd4+ count; coronavirus disease 2019; covid-19; human immunodeficiency virus; sars-cov-2.

Figure 1. Non-contrast CT scan of the chest

Day 1 of hospital admission. Non-contrast CT image of the chest showing multiple, bilateral ground-glass opacities (white arrows) in both upper and lower lobes with a peripheral distribution.

Figure 2. Absolute CD4 and CD8 count during hospital stay

This graph demonstrates the decline in absolute CD4+ and CD8+ levels, expressed in cells/mm³, throughout the patient’s hospital stay.