A pattern of opportunistic infections among HIV in patients on antiretroviral therapy in a tertiary care hospital in coastal Karnataka: A retrospective evaluation

Though the incidence of opportunistic infection (OI) is reducing with combination antiretroviral therapy. In this study we aimed to identify the pattern of the occurrence of opportunistic infections in HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) patients. This was a retrospective, case-record based, timebound study over a four year period (2013-2016) which included HIV positive in-patients aged >18 years of age, of either gender on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). Demographic details, details of HIV infection including baseline and all available CD4 counts, details of the medications were recorded. Adverse drug reactions (ADR) were recorded by reviewing patient records. Among the files checked, 298 inpatients were on ART regimens recommended by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), and were included in the study. Among them, 70.8% of patients developed atleast one OI, 29.8% developed two OIs, and 6.71% developed three OIs. The most common OI was pulmonary tuberculosis (48.3%). The most common ART regimen was a combination of Zidovudine + Lamivudine + Nevirapine. In our study, 70.8% of patients developed at least one OI, which suggests that despite availability of combination ART, OIs continue being a significant issue in patients with HIV in resourcelimited settings.