Associations between serological evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and longitudinal pulmonary outcomes among people with HIV: analysis of the MACS/WIHS combined cohort study (MWCCS)

TL;DR

This study found that having HIV does not worsen lung function or symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to those without HIV.

Contribution

The study is the first to show that HIV serostatus does not increase pulmonary risks after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Findings

HIV-positive men had a slightly faster FEV1 decline than HIV-negative men, but the difference was not statistically significant.

No significant differences in FVC, DLCO, or respiratory symptoms were found between HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals.

HIV status was not associated with greater pulmonary impairments after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Abstract

People with HIV (PWH) are at increased risk for chronic lung disease and may be more susceptible to pulmonary complications following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. It remains unclear whether HIV infection modifies long-term pulmonary outcomes after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study assessed longitudinal changes in pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms among PWH and people without HIV (PWoH) with serologically-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

We analyzed data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS)/Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS), a prospective US cohort of PWH and PWoH. Participants with serologic evidence of past SARS-CoV-2 infection and acceptable pre- and post-SARS-CoV-2 pulmonary function testing (PFT) including spirometry and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) were included. Annualized changes in post-bronchodilator (BD) forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and DLCO were compared by HIV serostatus, stratified by sex. Respiratory symptoms were assessed using the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Linear regression estimated differences in pulmonary function change by HIV serostatus, stratifying by relevant covariates.

Among 778 participants (204 men; 574 women) exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and who underwent PFTs before and after infection, 66% were PWH. Men with HIV (MWH) had a mean annualized FEV1 decline of -44.3 mL/year versus -33.8 mL/year in men without HIV (MWoH) (mean difference -10.5 mL/year; 95% CI: -30.7, 9.7). Among women, FEV1 declined -19.8 mL/year in PWH vs. -14.8 mL/year in PWoH (mean difference -5.0 mL/year; 95% CI: -18.2, 8.2). Changes in FVC and DLCO were similar across HIV serostatus groups. No consistent differences in respiratory symptom changes were observed between PWH and PWoH. Subgroup analyses did not reveal any HIV-associated differential changes.

Among individuals with serologic evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, HIV serostatus was not associated with greater declines in pulmonary function or worsening of respiratory symptoms. Our findings suggest that having HIV alone may not increase the risk for pulmonary impairments following a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further research is needed to understand how uncontrolled HIV infection and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection may increase risks of adverse pulmonary outcomes following a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12931-026-03542-4.

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