Open AccessHIV2 late presenters in an infectious disease ward: six years’ experience
Author(s) -
Pires D,
Zagalo A,
Antunes F
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of the international aids society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.724
H-Index - 62
ISSN - 1758-2652
DOI - 10.7448/ias.15.6.18299
Subject(s) - medicine , epidemiology , pediatrics , disease , transmission (telecommunications) , retrospective cohort study , population , mortality rate , tuberculosis , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , immunology , pathology , electrical engineering , engineering , environmental health
Purpose of the study About a third of HIV‐infected patients in Europe present for care late in their disease. In 2010 a consensus was reached for a definition of late presentation, providing a new tool for research and acting. With regard to HIV2 infection this population has never been characterized. Methods Retrospective analysis of the clinical records of all the HIV2‐infected patients who meet the inclusion criteria (those defined by the European Late Presenter Consensus working group: Late presentation of HIV infection: a consensus definition 1) admitted to our ward between January 2006 and December 2011. The patients were characterized according to epidemiological, clinical and immunologic status and outcome. Summary of results During the period analyzed, 15 HIV2 patients were late presenters. The mean age of the patients was 48 years old (although 53% were older than 50 years); 8 (53%) were men; 11 (73%) were of African origin. Heterosexual transmission was reported in three of the patients, in the remainder the transmission mode was not available. The mean TCD4 cell was 188 (range 27–339), with 8 (53%) with a CD4 count below 200 cells. Twelve (80%) of the patients fulfilled AIDS criteria. There were 3 deaths, corresponding to a mortality rate of 20%. The cause of death was disseminated tuberculosis in two cases and non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma in the third case. Conclusions Most late presenters with HIV2 infection are of African origin, there is an even distribution between genders, their mean age is around 50 years old, more than half had a CD4 cell count below 200 and there was a 20% mortality rate. These patients pose challenges at various levels: their mortality rate is much higher than in the general HIV‐infected population and they are diagnosed very late, leading to a disproportionate increase in risk of transmission, morbidity and mortality.