title: The clinical profile of end-stage AIDS.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical profile of end-stage AIDS in patients 12 months before death. A cross-sectional examination of HIV-infected patients who attended a public HIV outpatient clinic between 1990 and 1996 and who died was conducted. The prevalence and first-time acquisition of AIDS-defining conditions 12 months before death were evaluated. The AIDS-defining conditions with the highest percentages of first-time acquisition in the last 12 months of life were progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (100%), lymphoma (96%), dementia (78.6%), Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection (74.0%), toxoplasmosis (72.6%), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection (69.6%). Of the concomitant conditions studied, those with the highest percentages of first-time acquisition in the last 12 months of life were CMV with MAC (99%) and CMV with wasting (88%). Patients who acquire these AIDS-defining conditions may be eligible to receive information about end-stage options, such as hospice care. However, administration of aggressive antiretroviral treatments, such as the protease inhibitors, may affect this profile in the future, as the majority of the patients in this study were receiving the standard antiretroviral treatments of the time, primarily zidovudine.
authors.affiliation: Louisiana Office of Public Health, New Orleans, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Welch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kissinger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bessinger
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dascomb
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morse
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gleckler
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015996:Survival Rate