Outcome of retroviral screening among patients undergoing ear, nose, throat, head and neck surgery, at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

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<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> In Nigeria it has been estimated that 3.6% of the population are living with HIV/AIDS. Patients with different social, family, occupational and epidemiological background present for ear, nose, throat, head and neck (ENTH&N) surgeries in our hospital. The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of HIV infection among patients for ENTH&N surgeries and to document the ENTH&N conditions that were associated with HIV infection.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This was a prospective study that was carried out in the ENTH&N Surgery department of UBTH, Benin City, Nigeria, between January, 2009 and December, 2010. All patients that were worked up for surgeries were enrolled into the study. Appropriate data were retrieved from the patients who gave informed consent for surgery and had retroviral screening and confirmatory tests by ELISA and Western blot methods respectively. The retroviral status of all the patients and the indications for the surgical procedures done were documented. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> There were 173 patients; 100 males and 73 females, with a male to female ratio of 1.37:1. Ages ranged from 0.83 years to 72 years, with an average age of 26.82 years. Out of a total of 168 patients screened for HIV infection in this study, 6 patients were retroviral positive. This gives a prevalence of 0.036%. Out of the 6 patients that were retroviral positive, 3 patients had chronic tonsillitis, 1 patient had chronic tonsillitis and otitis media with effusion, while the other 2 patients had submandibular gland and nasopharyngeal tumours respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> A prevalence of 0.036% of HIV infection was found in patients for ENTH&N surgeries. Chronic tonsillitis was the commonest presentation of HIV infection, equally followed by OME, nasopharyngeal and submandibular gland tumours. </p>