Epidemiological Characteristics Of Patients With Recent Diagnosis Of HIV In A Referral Center

Abstract

Background: HIV/AIDS infection is a chronic disease of epidemic behavior and one of the most serious public health problems in the world. In 2014, 36.9 million people living with HIV (PLWHIV) in the world. In Argentina, 129,260 cases of PLWHIV or AIDS were recorded between 1982 and 2015. In Córdoba from 1985 to 2012, 7598 cases and 733 deaths were reported. OBJECTIVE: To determine the epidemiological characteristics of patients with recent diagnosis of HIV in a referral center. Methods & Materials: Retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study. Inclusion Criteria: patients older than 18 years, with a recent diagnosis of HIV infection, between January 1 and December 31, 2016. The data were collected from the medical records, serology and flow cytometry laboratory database. Results: Among 2016, 7553 serology samples were performed in our hospital, 414 were positive for HIV, with an average of 34.5 cases per month and 1.1 new cases per day. 78.5% were male. The median age was 35 years (range 18 - 73 years). Baseline viral load (VL) was performed in 83.8% of positive patients with a median of 40,000 copies/ml (range 40- > 10,000,000 copies/ml). CD4 T cell counts were performed in 345 patients (83.3%), presenting an average of 428 cells/ul with a minimum value of 2 and a maximum value of 1756. Coinfection with HBV and HCV was observed in 5 positive for each. Conclusion: A total of 414 new HIV diagnoses were performed, predominantly in young men. At diagnosis, VL was high and CD4 cell counts didńt show immunodepression levels in most patients. The prevalence of coinfection of HIV and HBV or HCV was low. DISCUSSION: Although the literature reports that the number of new HIV cases is decreasing, in our experience we still have a high number of annual diagnoses, so we will continue with detection campaigns as part of the 90-90-90 objective.