Despite having previous interactions with the health care system, more than half of patients in a recent study received a late-stage HIV diagnosis.
The prospective, observational cohort study was presented at IDWeek 2025 by Federico Daniel Cardozo, MD. Dr. Cardozo and colleagues investigated factors associated with late diagnosis, as well as missed opportunities and patient perceived barriers to timely HIV testing. Although rapid testing is readily available, late diagnoses of HIV infection remain a challenge, the researchers noted.
The team conducted in-depth interviews with adults who had a recent HIV diagnosis (n=102) performed in a referral hospital in Buenos Aires between October 2023 and January 2025.
Patients were a mean age of 32.5 years and most of the study population were men (87.3%). Several patients had weakened immune systems with the overall median CD4+ being 294.
In addition, 36% of patients had at least one medical consultation and 26.5% didn’t return for follow-up. For the 55 patients who received treatment, 92% had the amount of HIV in their blood reduced to undetectable levels after 6 months. However, seven patients died during the study because of AIDS-related causes.
Among all enrolled patients, 59.8% met the criteria for a late HIV diagnosis. Older age and being in exclusively heterosexual relationships were the main factors linked with late diagnosis.
Gender, education level, employment, stable partner, drug use, and history of sexually transmitted infections were not associated with a greater risk of late diagnosis.
Most patients didn’t seek access to routine health check-ups because they felt healthy, according to a qualitative analysis that was performed. Furthermore, patients reported past negative experiences within the health system, describing feelings of exclusion resulting from depersonalized care.
The analysis also revealed significant gaps in the communication and dissemination of information about rapid HIV testing among adults, which the researchers said highlights the immediate need for broader and more targeted testing outreach strategies.
Reference
Cardozo FD, et al. IDWeek 2025. P-268
