Journal of AIDS & Clinical Research

Reason for HIV Patients Consultation to the Emergency Department in the HAART Era: Incidence and Mortality

Abstract

Camon S, Perello R, Escoda O, Escoda R, Aguilar N, Saubi N, Lopez C, Quiros C, Company A, Castaneda M and Martinez E

Aim: To describe the, incidence, the changes in the etiology and the prognosis of HIV infected patients, presenting by the first time to the Emergency Department (ED), during years 2000-2010. Study Design: Retrospective collection of data. Methods: The identification of patients was carried out by consulting, retrospectively, the medical records, of the patients that flocked to ED, by any pathology, in appreciating the diagnosis and known HIV or diagnosed during their hospital admission. Patients referred from other hospitals that had previously been visited at their ED or consultations after the first visit were excluded. Epidemiological and laboratory data were analyzed as well as, the influence of these variables on a 30 days mortality test was analyzed. Poor prognosis was defined by observing mortality at 30 days. Results: A total of 445 HIV patients were included in the study. The mean age was 40.92 ± 10 years. The infectious disease was the most frequent cause of visits to the ED. Neurological affectation was the most common cause of consultation due to non-infectious diseases. The incidence of HIV patients reported to the ED had been declining in the last decade, with a maximum peak inflow in 2001 of 41.21 patients/year. The overall mortality in the study was 8%. Logistic regression analysis showed that admission to ICU (p<0.001) was independent variables predicting mortality. Conclusion. Infectious disease is the most common cause of HIV patient consultation at the ED, with a decreasing incidence, probably related to the widespread utilization increased of HAART. Our results may serve as a benchmark reference to other Spanish centers.