The HIV-associated diseases encountered in the practice of forensic medical autopsies

Abstract

The present article deals with the problems pertaining to the forensic medical diagnostics of the HIV-associated pathological conditions taking into consideration the materials available from the Moscow City Centre for AIDS Prophylaxis and Control with special reference to the number and structure of the diagnosed HIV-associated diseases. We undertook the analysis of co-morbid HIV/AIDS causes of violent and sudden deaths documented at the Bureau of Forensic Medical Expertise of the Moscow Health Department during the period from 2013 till 2016. The study revealed the tendency toward a rise in the number of deaths from the HIV-associated infections including tuberculosis, pneumonias, chronic immunodeficiency conditions refractory to the treatment, and from malignant neoplasms. A peculiar feature of the aforementioned period was the increased age of the deceased subjects. In the cases of violent deaths, the HIV-associated conditions were diagnosed as the concomitant diseases, with the markedly predominant ones being acute drug and alcohol intoxication, injures, and attempts at suicide. The available results of the studies give evidence of the necessity and importance of the cooperative work of the specialists for the further improvement of forensic medical diagnostics and monitoring of HIV-associated conditions.

Identification of Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Viral Infection Progression Based on Text Mining: Case Study for HIV Infection

“…The circulation of HIV in various tissues and systemic immune activation and inflammation lead to the development of multiple HIV-associated comorbidities. Although in most cases highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) helps to reduce the viral load and to boost the immune system, HIV-associated comorbidities develop during the life of an infected person and are still the main causes of death [ 6 , 7 ]. The velocity of HIV infection progression can be associated with individual peculiarities and is possibly related to HAART therapeutic success.…”

Hepatic cirrhosis according to the forensic medical autopsy data from Moscow for the period of 2007-2016

“…In 2010, it increased by 73.8%, and in St. Petersburg it reached 124.4 incidents per 100 thousand, which is 3 times higher than the average in Russia. This problem is exacerbated by the high prevalence of drug addiction and indiscriminate unprotected sex [4,5].…”