ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a severe threat to public health everywhere, including the Central Asian region and Kazakhstan. The aim of the study was to conduct an epidemiological analysis of newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection during 2018-2020. STUDY DESIGN: A case series study. METHODS: A descriptive analysis of national data on registered cases of HIV in Kazakhstan was conducted, and demographic information was collected and studied accordingly. The analysis of the influence of age, period, and cohort was performed using the age-period-cohort method. RESULTS: Based on the results, men prevailed (68.5%) among all cases of HIV infection (n=1235). Sexual transmission during heterosexual contact was higher in females (88.9%, P=0.005), and the number of new cases as a result of homosexual contact was higher in men (23.0%, P=0.087). In addition, the parenteral route of HIV transmission cases prevailed among men (27.5%, P=0.001), and intravenous drug administration was more common among males (27.4%, P=0.01). Moreover, 68.5% of men and 33.2% of women had a low therapy adherence. In men, the risk of HIV prevalence increased after 32.5 years (deviation [Dv]: 0.134, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.096 to 0.364). At the age of 37.5 years, there was an increase (Dv: 0.852, 95% CI=0.626 to 1.079) in HIV prevalence. However, no peaks were observed in women. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated a rise in the prevalence of HIV infection in Kazakhstan. Men aged 37 and older were identified as the risk category. Eventually, inadequate adherence to treatment was observed in HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome , HIV Infections , Male , Humans , Female , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/epidemiology , HIV Infections/epidemiology , HIV , Kazakhstan/epidemiology , Sexual Behavior , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
To analyze HIV-1 genetic variants in Kazakhstan, HIV-1 sequences were obtained from 205 antiretroviral-treated (ART) and naive patients in 2009-2013. Samples were collected in the most populous cities and provinces of Kazakhstan. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses of partial pol sequences, subtype A variant intravenous drug user (IDU)-A (which is dominant in the former Soviet Union) was found in 60.0% of the individuals, followed by CRF02_AG (34.6%); the rest of the samples were subtype B, CRF03_AB, CRF63_02A1, and CRF07_BC. The proportion of CRF02_AG has increased significantly since 2001-2003, when it was less than 5%. The majority of the CRF02_AG cases were found in Almaty, the former capital and the most populous city in Kazakhstan. The IDU-A variant dominated in the industrial regions of northern and central Kazakhstan and some other regions. Both dominant HIV-1 genetic variants were almost equally represented in the two main transmission groups: IDUs and heterosexuals. The analysis of drug-resistant mutations found a low prevalence of drug resistance in 165 therapy-naive individuals (3.0%). Thus, in the beginning of the second decade of the 2000s, the HIV epidemic in Kazakhstan is driven by two main genetic variants: IDU-A and CRF02_AG.
