Opportunistic infections in adults with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a comparison of clinical and autopsy findings.
OBJECTIVE
Many opportunistic infections causing death in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients are often not diagnosed prior to death. The objective of this study was to compare the premortem and postmortem diagnoses of opportunistic infections and tumors among 15 AIDS patients treated in a hospital in southern Taiwan.


METHODS
Total autopsy (brain, chest and abdominal cavity) was performed in 2 patients, and partial autopsy in 13.


RESULTS
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, candidiasis, lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, toxoplasmosis and salmonellosis were more commonly diagnosed before death than at autopsy. By contrast, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections and herpes simplex virus or varicella-zoster virus infections were more frequently diagnosed at postmortem examinations than prior to death.


CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, this study found substantial discrepancies between autopsy findings and premortem clinical diagnoses in AIDS patients, especially for CMV infection.
Tang
Hung-Jen
HJ
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
Liu
Yung-Ching
YC
Yen
Muh-Young
MY
Chen
Yao-Shen
YS
Wann
Shue-Ren
SR
Lin
Hsi-Hsun
HH
Lee
Susan Shin-Jung
SS
Lin
Wei-Ru
WR
Huang
Chun-Kai
CK
Su
Bo-An
BA
Chang
Ping-Chin
PC
Li
Chien-Ming
CM
Tseng
Hui-Hua
HH
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy; D005260:Female; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000821:virology