Epidemiological profile of HIV patients attending ARTC of a tertiary care hospital in Jaipur, India

Abstract

Introduction: District Jaipur of Rajasthan has a high prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and it comes under category B of HIV transmission. The geographical and sociocultural environments of different states of India are different; hence, the profile of HIV cases also differs from place to place. Area-specific data regarding the profile of HIV cases attending the biggest government hospital of Jaipur could be utilized by higher authorities for the implementation of control measures. Objective: The objective was to describe the sociodemographic profile of HIV cases and to find out the comorbidity of TB-HIV cases. Materials and Methods: The hospital-based, observational, and descriptive study was undertaken at a tertiary care teaching hospital of Jaipur from 1 January to 28 February 2019. Primary data were collected from 220 HIV-positive cases through an interview, and secondary data were collected from case records. Results: The maximum cases (40%) were in the age group of 31 to 40 years. Around 30% of cases were unmarried, widows, or divorced. Half of them were from the below poverty line (BPL) families. Only 9% of patients had a college education. Every third case reported was a housewife. Around 13% of cases were not aware of their spouse’s HIV status. HIV-TB coinfection was present in 20% of cases. Conclusion: The majority of cases were from the sexually active age groups and were poor, unmarried, widows, or divorced, and housewives. The spouse of every eighth case was unaware of the HIV status of their partner. Tuberculosis (TB) was the most common coinfection. This basic information would help policymakers formulate better information, education and communication and control measures that are area and population specific.