Characteristics of HIV-infected persons and their spouses who became HIV-positive in HIV discordant couples in Dehong Prefecture， Yunnan Province

Objective To determine the characteristics， viral load and immunological status of HIV-infected persons and their spouses who became HIV-positive， and the reasons for HIV seroconversion in 55 HIV discordant couples in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture （Dehong Prefecture）， Yunan Province.

Methods Data on the 55 couples meeting the criteria of having a previously positive spouse were retrieved from the AIDS Integrated Prevention and Control Data Information System of the China Disease Control and Prevention Information System during 2015-2021. General socio-demographic information， age at diagnosis， exposure history， CD4⁺T lymphocyte count， and antiviral treatment were collected. Descriptive analysis and chi-square test were used to compare the distribution of pre-HIV-positive spouses and their HIV seroconverted spouses.

Results A total of 55 spouses from HIV discordant couples had HIV seroconversion. Of them， 72.7% （40/55） of pre-HIV-positive spouses were husbands. The most recent CD4⁺T lymphocyte count in the pre-HIV-positive spouses was （328.31± 246.27） cells·μL^-1 at the time of diagnosis of their seroconverted spouses， of which 36.3% （20/55） had a CD4⁺T lymphocyte count of less than 200 cells·μL^-1. Furthermore， of those pre-HIV-positive spouses with low CD4⁺T lymphocyte count， 45.0% （9/20） had an undetectable viral load， 15.0% （3/20） <400 copies·mL^-1， and 25.0%（5/20） ≥400 copies·mL^-1. Additionally， 16.4% （9/55） of the pre-HIV-positive spouses did not have a viral load test. The main reasons for HIV seroconversion among HIV-negative spouses in the discordant couples were poor condom use， poor compliance with antiviral therapy， and treatment discontinuation.

Conclusion The follow-up management of HIV discordant couples should be strengthened in Dehong Prefecture， especially the monitoring of viral load levels and immunological status of pre-HIV-positive spouses， to improve their compliance with antiviral therapy and reduce treatment discontinuation， which would effectively prevent and control HIV transmission between spouses.