Migration characteristics among HIV/AIDS patients reported in Yiwu City from 2016 to 2020 / 预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To investigate the migration characteristics and follow-up treatment among HIV/AIDS patients after HIV confirmation in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province from 2016 to 2020, so as to provide insights into the optimization of the HIV/AIDS control strategy among floating populations.@*Methods@#The reported HIV/AIDS patients' demographics, follow-up and treatment data in Yiwu City from 2016 to 2020 were captured from the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Information System of Chinese Disease Control and Prevention Information System. The migration characteristics, antiretroviral therapy and outcomes of HIV/AIDS patients were analyzed after HIV confirmation, and the factors affecting the migration of HIV/AIDS patients after HIV confirmation were identified using a Cox proportional hazard regression model.@*Results@#A total of 1 189 HIV/AIDS patients were enrolled, including 988 men (83.10%) and 806 cases without Zhejiang provincial household registration (67.79%). There were 441 patients (37.09%) migrating out of Yiwu City after HIV confirmation, with a migration rate of 17.73/100 person-years, and there were 366 patients migrating out of Zhejiang Province, with a cross-province migration rate of 30.78%. Among participants without Zhejiang provincial household registration, 395 patients (49.01%) migrated out of Yiwu City, including 337 patients (85.32%) returning to their household registration provinces, which mainly included Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Hunan. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed a high risk of migration among minority ethnic populations (HR=1.375, 95%CI 1.044-1.811), retires (HR=3.605, 95%CI 1.771-7.335), students (HR=8.969, 95%CI 4.095-19.645), patients without Zhejiang provincial household registration (HR=4.545, 95%CI 3.164-6.529) and patients identified through physical examination of floating populations or employees (HR=1.318, 95%CI 1.006-1.727), and a low risk among married patients with spouses (HR=0.721, 95%CI 0.569-0.913) and with an educational level of junior high school and above (HR 0.428~0.753, 95%CI 0.280-0.952). Among all floating HIV/AIDS patients, there were 26 cases lost to follow-up (5.90%) and 49 deaths (11.11%). In addition, the proportion of absence of antiretroviral therapy, HIV infection progressing into AIDS patients and failure in HIV inhibition were all greater among floating HIV/AIDS patients than among non-floating patients (P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#A high risk of migration was found among HIV/AIDS patients without Zhejiang provincial household registration, unmarried patients, patients with a low education level, retirees, students, and patients identified through physical examination of floating populations or employees in Yiwu City from 2016 to 2020, and migration does not facilitate the sustainability of antiretroviral therapy and follow-up, which may affect the prognosis of HIV/AIDS.