title: Clinical characteristics and natural history of human immunodeficiency virus infected patients seen at a general hospital in Singapore.
abstract: The number of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Singapore has risen over the years. A considerable proportion of them present with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In this study, we document the clinical characteristics and natural history of a consecutive series of 50 patients who were found to have HIV infection when they were seen at a tertiary care hospital. The majority were in the 30 to 49 age group and the most common mode of acquisition was heterosexual contact. The patients presented with a variety of symptoms to 11 different clinical departments. Fifty-eight per cent of the patients had AIDS-defining illnesses at presentation, with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia being the most common. On follow-up, the most frequently occurring opportunistic infection that developed was Cytomegalovirus retinitis. Most patients had multiple subsequent admissions--for both AIDS-defining and non AIDS-defining conditions. The median CD4 count of the cohort at presentation was 72/mm3. The median survival was 399 and 822 days in those who had and those who did not have an AIDS-defining illness at presentation, respectively. Mortality was most commonly attributed to pneumonia. HIV infection has protean manifestations and patients may present to various specialty departments; hence, doctors need to be aware of the spectrum of disease in order to make a diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ang
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D000328:Adult; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000097:blood; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015229:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens