title: Profile of cause of death assigned to adults on antiretroviral therapy in Soweto.
abstract: This retrospective cohort study describes causes of death in 305 patients (baseline median CD4 count 26/μl) from 2 943 adults on antiretroviral therapy. Acute sepsis (20%), tuberculosis (18%) and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) bacteraemia (14%) were the most common causes. Mortality owing to the disease was 66% for MAC bacteraemia and 23% for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In 37 patients dying beyond one year on ART, virological failure was present in 11 (30%), and non-HIV-related causes of death occurred in 10. The main causes were acute sepsis (6), tuberculosis (7) and chronic medical conditions (5). Initiating ART at higher CD4 counts should reduce early mortality.
authors: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. karstaedt@mweb.co.za
authors: Alan S
authors: AS
authors: Karstaedt
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D002423:Cause of Death; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology