Indian Journal of Microbiology Research
  • Year: 2016
  • Volume: 3
  • Issue: 4

Clinical profile of HIV/AIDS in geriatric patients seeking ART-A Longitudinal study

1Assistant Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences, Karnataka

2Assistant Professor, Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences, Karnataka

3Professor & Head, Shivamogga, Dept. of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka

4Statician, Dept. of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka

*Corresponding Author: Email: docshilpak@yahoo.com

Online published on 20 June, 2017.

Abstract

To study the clinical profile of HIV/AIDS in geriatric patients seeking ART.

This study was conducted in District Hospital, Belgaum. Information, which was collected from 372 HIV/AIDS patients seeking ART during the period of January and February 2010 and were followed up for one year using predesigned, pretested questionnaire with their informed written consent.

Out of 372 patients followed only 2.1% were more than 65 years. Majority were male and belonged to low socioeconomic status and were illiterates. 37.5% presented with opportunistic infections and all of them were tuberculosis patients who were ambulatory. With Wilcoxon Sign Rank test improvement in baseline to 1st visit CD4 count (p=0.075) and baseline to 2nd visit CD4 count (p=0.043) was statistically significant. One death was reported during the study period. Almost half of them had side effects to ART. One patient stopped ART voluntarily.

Treatment was delayed even though patients were diagnosed earlier. Tuberculosis was the most common HIV co-infection seen. Prognosis was good with improvement in CD4 count and with good adherence to ART. Dropouts should be identified early and reasons for dropouts need to be studied.

Keywords

HIV/AIDS, Geriatric patients