Abstract
According to statistics published in December 2007 by the National AIDS Program, Lebanon is home to 1056 individuals infected with HIV. Little is known about the clinical profile of opportunistic infections (OIs) and AIDS defining illnesses (ADIs) and their relative contribution to the morbidity and mortality of HIV-infected patients in Lebanon. The aim of this study is to describe the spectrum of OIs and ADIs in HIV-infected patients diagnosed and/or treated at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) in Lebanon. Data on various OIs and ADIs were collected from the medical records of patients with HIV infection who were diagnosed or received their medical care at AUBMC from 1984 to January 2008. Eighty-nine HIV-infected patients were included in the analysis. The incidence of ADIs was 72% (64/89). The most commonly diagnosed OIs were cerebral toxoplasmosis (21%), followed by fungal infections (17%). The majority of ADIs (75%) occurred when the CD4 count was below 200 cells/mm(3). Clinical guidelines for the prevention of OIs in HIV-infected individuals have been developed on the basis of natural history data collected in industrialized countries. Our results can be used to define local priorities for opportunistic infection prophylaxis.
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