Opportunistic infections among AIDS patients at Chulalongkorn University Hospital.

We reviewed records of adult AIDS cases admitted to the hospital during February 1985 to May 1993. Data were analyzed by race age sex risk behavior and clinical manifestations. AIDS diagnosis was based on Centers for Disease Control classification (1986). Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) was included. We found 155 AIDS cases of whom 145 were Thai and 10 were foreign. Ages ranged from 19 to 79 years with a mean of 35.6 years; the male-to-female ratio was 146:9. Most of the cases were heterosexual 32 cases were homosexual/bisexual 26 were injecting drug users and 3 were transfusion associated. Tuberculosis was the most common opportunistic infection found in 81/155 (52%): 44 (28%) with pulmonary TB 9 (6%) with disseminated TB 4 (2%) with TB effusion 4 (2%) with TB pericardial effusion 2 with TB peritonitis 1 with TB ileum 1 with TB esophagus and 1 with TB arthritis. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was found in 47/155 (30%). Cryptococcal meningitis was found in 30/155 (19%) candida esophagitis was found in 11/155 (7%) Penicillium marneffei sepsis in 4/155 (2%) disseminated herpes infection in 5/155 (3%) cytomegalovirus retinitis in 7/155 (4%) S. aureus sepsis in 5/155 (3%) salmonella sepsis in 5/155 (3%) pulmonary nocardiosis in 1/155 toxoplasmosis in 1/155 cryptosporidiosis in 4/155 (2%) and Isospora infection in 1 case. Neoplasms occurred in 12/155 (8%) non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 7/155 (4%) Hodgkins disease in 2/155 Burkitts lymphoma in 1/155 and Kaposis sarcoma in 2/155. In conclusion TB Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and cryptococcal meningitis were the three most common opportunistic infections in adult AIDS patients at Chulalongkorn University Hospital. (full text)