title: Demographical, Viro-Immunological, Clinical and Therapeutical Characteristics of HIV-Infected Patients in an "Epidemiologically Unexplored" Region of Italy (Calabria Region): the CalabrHIV Cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  HIV epidemics may differ among epidemiological contexts. We aimed at constructing an HIV clinical cohort whose main epidemiological, clinical and therapeutical characteristics are described (the CalabrHIV cohort, Calabria Region, Southern Italy).
  
  
  METHODS
  The CalabrHIV Cohort includes all HIV patients on active follow-up in all infectious disease centers in the Calabria Region as at October 2014. All information was recorded in a common electronic database. Not-infectious co-morbidities (such as cardiovascular diseases, bone fractures, diabetes, renal failure and hypertension) were also studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  548 patients (68% males; 59% aged <50 years) were included in the CalabrHIV cohort. Major risk factors were: sexual transmission (49%) and intravenous drug use (34%). 39% patients had HCV and/or HBV co-infection. Amongst 404 patients who had a complete clinical history, 34% were AIDS presenters and 49.3% had CD4 count ≤350/mm(3) at HIV diagnosis. 83% patients on HAART had undetectable HIV-RNA. Hypertension was the most frequent co-morbidity (21.5%). Multimorbidity was more frequent in >50 years old patients than in <50 years old ones (30% vs. 6%; p<0.0001). Co-morbidity was more frequent in HCV and/or HBV co-infected than in HIV mono-infected patients (46.6% vs. 31.7%: p=0.0006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This cohort presentation study sheds light, for the first time, on HIV patients' characteristics in the Calabria Region. We showed that HIV-infected patients with chronic hepatitis were affected by concomitant not-infectious co-morbidities more than the HIV mono-infected individuals. New HCV treatments are therefore to be implemented in the co-infected population.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Magna Graecia" University, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Maria Concetta
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Postorino
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Annunziata" Hospital, Cosenza.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Luciani
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, " Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli" Hospital, Reggio Calabria.
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mangano
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, " Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli" Hospital, Reggio Calabria.
authors.forename: Maria Stella
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Carpentieri
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Pugliese-Ciaccio" Hospital, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scerbo
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Pugliese-Ciaccio" Hospital, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Priamo
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Giovanni Paolo II" Hospital, LameziaTerme, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berardelli
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Jazzolino" Hospital, Vibo Valentia.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Jazzolino" Hospital, Vibo Valentia.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vallone
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "San Giovanni di Dio" Hospital, Crotone.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Serrao
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Magna Graecia" University, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pisani
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Magna Graecia" University, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Annunziata" Hospital, Cosenza.
authors.forename: Albano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terremoto
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, " Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli" Hospital, Reggio Calabria.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Foti
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Pugliese-Ciaccio" Hospital, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cosco
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Giovanni Paolo II" Hospital, LameziaTerme, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calderazzo
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Giovanni Paolo II" Hospital, LameziaTerme, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Corigliano
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Magna Graecia" University, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Preziosa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scordo
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Magna Graecia" University, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Strazzulla
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, "Magna Graecia" University, Catanzaro.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torti