The fear of becoming infected with the new coronavirus also affected HIV / AIDS patients. Doctors were able to remotely monitor those already on medication, but the number of new cases has halved.
Thus, in addition to the fact that the infection could be transmitted, the disease progresses and the body does not recover no matter how quickly the treatment is administered.
“We noticed that the addressability of potential patients to the Infectious Diseases Hospital has decreased. It decreased a lot due to the fact that being an exclusive Covid-19 hospital they were afraid to come. We know that the immunity of patients with HIV / AIDS is lower. We have seen a halving of the new cases detected in 2020 compared to other years. This means that somewhere, these patients pass on and at the same time their disease progresses. Moreover, almost half of this percentage are detected in the stage of AIDS. Regardless of the treatment and how quickly you apply the treatment, they leave with a decrease in life expectancy. They have reached that downward slope with many co-infections and damage to the body that can no longer be recovered regardless of treatment. said Voichița Lăzureanu, a doctor at the “Victor Babeș” Infectious Diseases Hospital in Timișoara and the president of the Regional Commission for the Fight against AIDS.
The same thing happens if the treatment is stopped.
“Even so far, the treatment does not enter the places where the virus is confined – the lymph nodes, gonads, brain. And when the treatment is stopped or not taken properly, the virus multiplies at that level and causes cell destruction. It starts circulating again in the bloodstream, and the disease progresses as the virus shakes its head. “, said Voichița Lăzureanu.
Not only HIV / AIDS patients have been collateral victims of the pandemic. Millions of cancer screening tests have never been performed in Europe.
“Unfortunately, in this pandemic, I do not mean only HIV / AIDS patients, patients with various diseases could not go to the hospital. In the outpatient department they were afraid to come and their reluctance was great. As for the infectious pathology, they either didn’t come or we talked on the phone. Telemedicine cannot replace the physical consultation and tests they should perform. They kept pushing this visit, they didn’t come at all, and these patients either didn’t show up at all or I referred them to another hospital unit, but they didn’t benefit from the doctor’s experience of infectious diseases because we were the first line. in COVID. These factors led to the progression of the disease and to more severe forms with which they later presented. “, said doctor Voichița Lăzureanu.
In the western area there are around 1,000 patients diagnosed with HIV-AIDS, and 400 belong to the center of the “Victor Babeș” Hospital in Timișoara.
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