Spectrum of opportunistic infections in hospitalized HIV-infected patients in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Abstract

The aim of the study was to provide more comprehensive data on the clinical characteristics of hospitalized AIDS patients in Cambodia. Chart review of 381 HIV-infected patients admitted to a public hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia between December 1999 and May 2000 was performed. The in-hospital mortality rate was 43.6%. Approximately 50% of patients had two or more concurrent illnesses. Very advanced HIV disease was common, with CD4 cell counts below 10 cells/mm(3) in 43.2%. Only 28.3% of the patients had documentation of their HIV infection prior to hospitalization. Chronic diarrhoea was the most frequent opportunistic illness (41.2%), followed by tuberculosis (26%), cryptococcal meningitis (12.6%), Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (8.4%), and encephalitis (4.7%). Chronic diarrhoea and tuberculosis were the most important opportunistic infections observed in HIV-infected hospitalized patients in Cambodia. These findings illustrate the need for early diagnosis of HIV-infection, effective prophylaxis for opportunistic infections and improved access to antiretroviral therapy in Cambodia.

Clinical characteristics and predictors of mortality in hospitalized HIV-infected Nigerians

“…The spectrum of opportunistic infections in our patients is similar to those reported from South Africa [17], India [18], Cambodia [8] and Iran [19]. Tuberculosis was the most common inpatient diagnosis.…”

“…Opportunistic infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV infection. In resource-limited settings, knowledge regarding the prevalence of the various IOs might aid [2,[7][8][9]. This mortality rate is much higher than that reported in the United States in the pre-HAART era [10,11].…”

Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia: Current Knowledge and Outstanding Public Health Issues

“…In 2000, it was estimated that HIV prevalence among persons 15-49 years of age was nearly 3%, the highest among Southeast Asian countries [92,93]. A chart review of 351 patients with HIV admitted to the hospital for various reasons showed that 8% had PCP [93]. A later study of 100 patients with advanced HIV disease showed that noninduced sputum from 10% of patients contained Pneumocystis organisms [94].…”

Preventing Death from HIV-Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis: The Way Forward

“…CM has been associated with approximately 15% of HIV-related hospital admissions in several studies [7,40,41] and is a leading cause of death in this population, with acute mortality rates ranging from 17% to 43% [4,42]. CM is also a commonly reported opportunistic infection in other areas of the world, including Latin America and India [43,44].…”