Our focus
If individuals living with HIV are diagnosed timely and thus begin treatment with a CD4 count ≥350 cells/μL, they now have a life expectancy similar to the general population. At the same time, it appears that the incidence of new HIV infections has been declining both globally and in Denmark in recent years.
Despite the dramatic decline in morbidity and mortality from HIV since the start of the epidemic and an encouraging trend of decreasing HIV incidence, late HIV diagnosis remains a significant challenge in HIV treatment. About half of patients are still diagnosed in the late stages of the infection, and this has not changed significantly over the past few years despite extensive efforts. A late HIV diagnosis leads to increased morbidity and mortality despite effective treatment, a higher risk of lasting complications, and therefore a lower quality of life, as well as a higher risk of transmission of the infection within the community.
Research
At Department Q, we place a strong focus on improving timely HIV diagnosis, as this has a major impact on the patient's long-term prognosis and quality of life. As patients living with HIV are living longer, and more than 50% of the patients we follow are over 50 years old, another area of focus is aging and age-related comorbidities.
Mycobacterial infections, tuberculosis (TB), and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can occur in HIV patients, especially those with weakened immune systems, and both have significantly high mortality. Therefore, we have established a national TB and NTM database among HIV patients to address unanswered aspects.
We have a particular interest in epidemiological research and greatly value our collaborations with other national and international partners. Finally, we also participate in various national and international clinical trials, including studies testing new medications.