Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland.
Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 9;14(1):8296. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-55277-1.
Late presentation to medical care of individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is linked to poor outcomes and increased morbidity and mortality. Missed opportunities for a prompt diagnosis are frequently reported among late presenters. We aimed to estimate the proportion of late presenters and missed opportunities in diagnosis among newly diagnosed HIV-positive subjects presenting to a specialty clinic in Lebanon. This is a retrospective chart review of all newly diagnosed adult HIV-positive subjects presenting to clinic from 2012 to 2022. Demographic, laboratory, and clinical data were collected at initial HIV diagnosis or presentation to medical care. We defined late presentation as having a CD4 count < 350 or AIDS-defining event regardless of CD4 count. Advanced disease is defined as having a CD4 count below 200 cells/μL or the presence of an AIDS-defining illness, regardless of the CD4 count. A missed opportunity was defined as the presence of an indicator condition (IC) that suggests infection with HIV/AIDS during 3 years preceding the actual HIV diagnosis and not followed by a recommendation for HIV testing. The proportions for demographic, epidemiological, and clinical characteristics are calculated by excluding cases with missing information from the denominator. Our cohort included 150 subjects (92.7% males; 63.6% men who have sex with men (MSM); 33.3% heterosexuals; median age 30.5 years at diagnosis). 77 (51.3%) were late presenters and 53 (35.3% of all subjects, 68.8% of late presenters) had advanced HIV on presentation. Up to 76.5% of late presenters had a presentation with an HIV-related condition at a healthcare provider without getting HIV test within the previous 3 years. The most frequent ICs were weight loss, generalized lymphadenopathy, constitutional symptoms, and chronic idiopathic diarrhea. Overall mortality rate was 4% (6/150 individuals). All-cause mortality among those who presented with AIDS was 15.4% (6/39 subjects). In our setting, late presentations and missed opportunities for HIV diagnosis are common. In the Middle East, AIDS mortality remains high with a large gap in HIV testing. To effectively influence policies, comprehensive analyses should focus on estimating the preventable health and financial burdens of late HIV presentations. Another concern pertains to healthcare providers' attitudes and competencies.
艾滋病毒(HIV)感染者就诊时间较晚与不良结局以及发病率和死亡率增加有关。在就诊时间较晚的患者中,经常会错过及时诊断的机会。我们旨在评估在黎巴嫩一家专科诊所就诊的新诊断 HIV 阳性患者中,就诊时间较晚和漏诊的比例。这是一项对 2012 年至 2022 年期间在诊所就诊的所有新诊断的成年 HIV 阳性患者的回顾性图表审查。在初次 HIV 诊断或就诊时收集了人口统计学、实验室和临床数据。我们将就诊时间较晚定义为 CD4 计数<350 或出现 AIDS 定义性疾病,无论 CD4 计数如何。晚期疾病定义为 CD4 计数低于 200 个细胞/μL 或存在 AIDS 定义性疾病,无论 CD4 计数如何。漏诊定义为在实际 HIV 诊断前 3 年内存在提示 HIV/AIDS 感染的指标性疾病(IC),但未随后推荐进行 HIV 检测。排除分母中缺失信息的病例后,计算出人口统计学、流行病学和临床特征的比例。我们的队列包括 150 名患者(92.7%为男性;63.6%为男男性行为者(MSM);33.3%为异性恋者;诊断时的中位年龄为 30.5 岁)。77 名(51.3%)为就诊时间较晚,53 名(所有患者的 35.3%,就诊时间较晚者的 68.8%)在就诊时 HIV 已处于晚期。多达 76.5%的就诊时间较晚的患者在过去 3 年内曾在医疗机构就诊时出现与 HIV 相关的疾病,但未接受 HIV 检测。最常见的 IC 是体重减轻、全身淋巴结肿大、全身症状和慢性特发性腹泻。总体死亡率为 4%(6/150 人)。出现 AIDS 时的全因死亡率为 15.4%(39 名患者中的 6 名)。在我们的环境中,就诊时间较晚和漏诊 HIV 的情况很常见。在中东,艾滋病死亡率仍然很高,HIV 检测差距很大。为了有效影响政策,全面分析应侧重于估计就诊时间较晚的 HIV 带来的可预防的健康和经济负担。另一个问题涉及医疗保健提供者的态度和能力。
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