Causes of death among HIV-infected patients in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province: 1989-2010

Abstract

To analyze the fatality and causes of death related to comprehensive prevention and care programs among HIV-infected patients in Dehong prefecture of Yunnan province, from 1989 to 2010. Data on HIV/AIDS death cases in Dehong prefecture were extracted from the "Chinese National Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Information System" and were analyzed. From 1989 to the end of 2010, a total of 13 493 HIV/AIDS cases registered as local residents or currently living in Dehong, had been reported. Among them, 8569 were reported as HIV cases with 2036 deaths and the other 4924 were reported as AIDS cases with 2251 deaths. A few of the cases had survived for 15 - 20 years. By the end of 2010, the number of deaths was higher than the number of survivors among HIV/AIDS cases reported before 2004, whereas the number of survivors was higher than the number of deaths among HIV/AIDS cases reported in 2004 and there after. During the twenty years' period, the proportion of reported HIV/AIDS cases died in the same year showed a secular trend of being low-highest-low, rising up to > 10.0% in 2001, peaking at 18.9% in 2003 and then continuously going down to 5.8% in 2010. The proportion of HIV/AIDS cases who survived at the beginning but died later in the year was going down since 2007. The proportion of HIV/AIDS deaths died directly from AIDS was increasing whereas the proportion of HIV/AIDS deaths dying directly from overuse of drugs was decreasing in the recent years. Among HIV/AIDS deaths, the proportion of ever received CD4(+) T-cell testing and the proportion of ever having received antiretroviral treatment were also increasing in the past years, reaching to 89.9% and 25.5% in 2010, respectively. The case fatality of HIV/AIDS was decreasing in the past years in Dehong prefecture. More efforts were needed to scale up the CD4(+) T-cell count testing and antiretroviral treatment in order to further reduce both morbidity and mortality among HIV/AIDS patients in Dehong prefecture. It is critical to improve surveillance program on HIV/AIDS deaths in the rural areas.