title: Opportunistic infections in adults with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a comparison of clinical and autopsy findings.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hung-Jen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Yung-Ching
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Muh-Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Yao-Shen
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shue-Ren
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wann
authors.forename: Hsi-Hsun
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Susan Shin-Jung
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wei-Ru
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chun-Kai
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Bo-An
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Ping-Chin
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Chien-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui-Hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Tseng
mesh_terms: 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