Changes in HIV-related hospitalizations during the HAART era in an inner-city hospital.
We evaluated admissions of HIV-positive persons to an inner-city hospital from 2000 to 2005. There was a decline in the number of substance abusers, homeless persons, injection drug abusers, and African Americans, and there was an increase in patients older than 50 years. There were no significant changes in CD4 counts or in utilization of highly active antiretroviral therapy,m but there were more admissions of persons with HIV RNA levels less than 1000 copies/mL, internal medicine problems, cancers, and skin infections. Changes in the demographics of this patient population may reflect external factors (eg, gentrification of low-income housing areas, opening of a new hospital). Lower viral loads suggest better response in those on a highly active antiretroviral regimen, and changes in diagnoses leading to hospitalization may reflect the aging of the HIV population.
Pulvirenti
Joseph
J
Division of Infectious Diseases, Provident Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Muppidi
Uma
U
Glowacki
Robert
R
Cristofano
Michael
M
Baker
Laurie
L
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D014505:Urban Population; D019562:Viral Load
D012367:RNA, Viral