title: Autopsy findings in HIV-infected inner-city patients.
abstract: To assess the importance of the autopsy in HIV-1 infection, we retrospectively reviewed the autopsy reports of 70 HIV-1-seropositive patients at Howard University Hospital. Of the 58 patients with AIDS, the diagnosis of AIDS was made after autopsy in 24 (41%) cases. The lung was the most common site of AIDS-diagnostic diseases, and was affected in 90% of patients. Pneumocystis carinii infection was the most common AIDS-diagnostic disease, and was present in 50% of the AIDS patients. Thirty-eight percent of AIDS diagnostic diseases were diagnosed antemortem, including 15 of the 29 Pneumocystis carinii infections. Most of the AIDS-diagnostic diseases were disseminated at autopsy and two or more diseases were found in some organs. Overall, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was the most common cause of death, accounting for a mortality of 43% among AIDS patients. Bacterial infections were common and contributed to the mortality and morbidity of both AIDS and non-AIDS patients. Bacterial infection was the cause of death in 15 AIDS and 9 non-AIDS patients. The clinical cause of death concurred with the pathological cause in 53% of our cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, D.C.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Afessa
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Greaves
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Olopoenia
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delapenha
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saxinger
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Frederick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D044465:White People