Clinical characteristics of patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Enrique Cabrera General Teaching Hospital

• Main Authors: Dinorah de la Caridad Oliva Venereo, Bladimir Rodríguez Benavides, Arturo Luís Viñas Martínez, Jorge Luis Valdés Fuster, Yunier Andrés Camilo Cuellar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana 2019-06-01
• Series: Revista Habanera de Ciencias Médicas
• Subjects: vih, sida, adenopatías generalizadas, conteo de t cd4, diagnóstico hospitalario, diagnóstico tardío, caso sida.
• Online Access: http://www.revhabanera.sld.cu/index.php/rhab/article/view/2719

<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The care of patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus is currently carried out in a decentralized way in Cuba. The number of patients with HIV admitted to general hospitals is increasing.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To determine the clinical characteristics of patients with HIV admitted to Enrique Cabrera General Teaching Hospital.</p><p><strong>Material and Methods: </strong>A descriptive retrospective study was carried out in patients with HIV admitted to Enrique Cabrera General Teaching Hospital from January 1^st, 2007 to December 31^st, 2013. The sample consisted of 86 cases. <strong>Results: </strong>The number of patients increased per year, male cases constituted 79 %, the most frequent age groups were from 21 to 30 years and from 41 to 50 years. Generalized adenopathies were the most frequent findings on physical examination. CD4 T- cell counts below 200 cells/mm³predominated in the study. Respiratory pathologies constituted 25 % of the causes of admission. Hospital diagnosis was carried out in 36 % of the cases, 77 % of which had late diagnoses of HIV.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>HIV patients constitute a young population that is admitted more and more to secondary level hospitals.  They present own characteristics of the disease and pathologies that put their lives at risk.</p><p class="Normal"><strong>Keywords:</strong> HIV, AIDS, generalized adenopathies, CD4 T-cell count, hospital diagnoses, late diagnosis, AIDS case.</p>