The most common reasons for stopping PrEP use was a decreased sexual activity due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 21/62, 33.9%) or not COVID-19 related (10/62, 16.1%), a monogamous relationship (20/62, 32.3%) and consistent condom use (7/62, 11.3%). The most common reasons for discontinuation were having stopped using PrEP (62/101, 61.4%) and “COVID-19” ( n = 35, 34.7%). Patients who discontinued PrEP care were more likely to be younger than those who remained in care (35 vs. A total of 143/1073 patients were considered as having discontinued PrEP care. Patients who did not return for a visit after Octoand who were not transferred out were considered as having discontinued PrEP care. Patients with more than two registered PrEP visits from a PrEP clinic in Antwerp, Belgium between June 2017 and February 2020 were included in this study. We reviewed routinely collected medical records and patient questionnaires and performed an e-mail/telephone survey to assess reasons for discontinuing PrEP care, ongoing risks for HIV infection, and associated factors. It remains unclear why patients discontinue HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care and to what extent they remain at risk for HIV when they do.
