End-stage renal disease in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus: a retrospective review of 38 cases.

A retrospective review was conducted to evaluate the influence of risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the outcome of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The records of all patients seen at Howard University Hospital between February 1984 and July 1994 with a diagnosis of HIV infection were reviewed. Two hundred seventy-eight patients had a diagnosis of renal failure; 38 of these patients developed end-stage renal failure requiring dialysis. Risk factors for HIV infection in these patients were intravenous drug abuse, homosexual behavior, bisexual preference, and blood transfusion. None of these factors consistently influenced the survival of HIV-infected patients with ESRD.