Clinical Profile of HIV/AIDS-infected Patients Admitted to a New Specialist Unit in Dhaka, Bangladesh - A Low-prevalence Country for HIV

Abstract

This paper describes the clinical features of a series of patients admitted to the specialist HIV/AIDS unit (Jagori) of the Dhaka Hospital, ICDDR, B (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) during May 2008–February 2010. Data were collected from a review of documents and electronic case-records and collation of laboratory results with respect to CD4 counts. One hundred and nine patients were admitted during this period. Their mean age was 33.4 years, and 62% were male. On admission, the mean CD4 count±standard deviation (SD) was 244±245 (range 2-1, 549). The death rate was 12%. The patients were classified as World Health Organization clinical stage 1: 23%, stage 2: 30%, stage 3: 23%, and stage 4: 24% during the admission. The commonest diagnosis recorded was tuberculosis (TB) (23%), which was also the commonest cause of death (38%). Even for those clinicians with limited experience of managing AIDS cases, the commonest problem encountered in this patient group was TB, reflecting the continued high burden of TB on health services in Bangladesh. Additional challenges to managing TB/HIV co-infection include atypical presentations in HIV-infected persons and the complex drug interaction with antiretroviral therapy.

Epidemiology of children with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (stage 3): A referral hospital‐based study in Iran

“…It shows that intravenous drug using can be one of the main transmission sources of HIV infection in adults. This result was in compatible with other studies of Iran: 55% in the study by Ramezani et al [] 78% in Ghannad et al study [Ghannad et al, ], and in contrast to other studies in Saudi Arabia (0.8%) [Madani et al, ] and Bangladesh (10%) [Matin et al, ].…”

Clinical Profile of Surgical Diseases with Emergence of New Problems in HIV+ Individuals

“…The prevalence of adult HIV was around 31 % in 2009 in India as per NACO fact sheets of March 2012 [1] and is showing a declining trend. A study from Bangladesh, a low prevalence country having <1 % prevalence, reported 109 admissions in a tertiary care specialized hospital during a 5-year study [3]. They quoted that around 7500 patients are living with HIV/ AIDS in 2009.…”

“…With increase in the number of people living with HIV AIDS, intervention for known surgical problems was often required and new surgical problems hitherto less reported in the literature were also observed. Even though literature on HIV/AIDS is abundant, there is paucity of information with respect to surgical diseases encountered in the Indian subcontinent and are mainly related to specific problems [3]. Hence, this study was taken up to know the clinical spectrum.…”

Characteristics and Predictors of Death among Hospitalized HIV-Infected Patients in a Low HIV Prevalence Country: Bangladesh

“…Diagnosis of HIV in Bangladesh is often delayed for a variety of reasons, including lack of awareness of HIV infection due to its low prevalence, the limited number of HIV testing and counseling facilities, which is often a critical entry point for engagement into care and prevention, and the unwillingness of many people to be tested [7] , [8] . As a result, HIV infected persons are diagnosed in late stages of the disease and most hospitalized patients with HIV have a CD4 count of <200 cells/mm 3 [9] . The Dhaka Hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) opened the Jagori Ward, an inpatient unit for the management and treatment of people living with HIV (PLHIV), in May 2008.…”