Analysis of prevalence of coinfections in patients living with HIV at Campos Gerais region

Abstract

The human immunodeficiency virus is characterized by the tropism for the immune system. This study aims to identify the prevalence of coinfections in people living with HIV (PLHIV), which were followed in the Specialized Service in Campos Gerais region. This is a cross-sectional study and a quantitative approach. In decrescent order, the primary coinfections presented by the patients were oral candidiasis (n=100, 14,47%), non-specified herpes (n=45, 6,51%), syphilis (n=2, 0,29%) and viral hepatitis (n=1, 0,14%). The immune system vulnerability of the carrier makes him or her susceptible to coinfections and opportunistic infections. Between the main coinfections encountered in this study, oral candidiasis, non-specified herpes, syphilis and viral hepatitis stand out. There is a notorious variability on the prevalence of coinfections evidenced by epidemiologic studies similar to this, fact which can be explained by the different cultural perceptions around the HIV infection in different Brazilian regions, as well as the populational heterogeneity.