These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Seroprevalence of viral hepatitis and infectious complications among human immunodeficiency virus-infected injection drug users at a referral hospital.
    Author: Liang SH, Lo YC, Lin HH, Chang SY, Chen MY, Hsieh SM, Sheng WH, Sun HY, Hung CC, Chang SC.
    Journal: J Microbiol Immunol Infect; 2008 Jun; 41(3):200-8. PubMed ID: 18629414.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The seroprevalence of viral hepatitis and spectrum of infectious complications among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected injection drug users (IDUs) remains unclear in Taiwan, although there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of HIV infection among IDUs in the last 2 to 3 years. METHODS: The medical records of HIV-infected IDUs who sought medical care at a referral hospital for HIV care from June 1994 to December 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. A standardized case record form was used to collect demographic, clinical, laboratory and microbiologic data. RESULTS: During the 12-year study period, a total of 102 HIV-infected IDUs with a median age of 39.5 years (range, 19 to 73 years) sought HIV care at the referral hospital. The male-to-female case ratio was 6 and males were significantly older than females (39.5 vs 28 years, p<0.001). The overall median CD4+ cell count and plasma HIV RNA load by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction at enrollment were 374 cells/microL and 4.45 log(10) copies/mL, respectively. The CD4+ cell count of HIV-infected IDUs enrolled after year 2003 was significantly higher than those enrolled before 2003 (438 vs 23 cells/microL, p<0.001). The seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (86.6% overall) increased over time, while that of hepatitis B virus decreased in the patients born after 1984, when nationwide hepatitis B vaccination was started in Taiwan. Gram-positive bacteria were causative for 69.7% of the 33 bacteremic episodes, and Staphylococcus aureus was the leading pathogen (16 episodes), with methicillin-sensitive S. aureus accounting for 11 bacteremic episodes (33.3%). The most common bacterial infection was infective endocarditis. Tuberculosis occurred more frequently in men, and extrapulmonary tuberculosis was more common than pulmonary tuberculosis and was associated with a lower CD4+ count. CONCLUSIONS: Bacteremia, infective endocarditis and tuberculosis were the three most common patterns of infection among HIV-infected IDUs who sought medical care at a referral hospital; and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus was the most common etiology of bacteremia. The high seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C and subsequent hepatic complications may present a future challenge to the health care system.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]