Clinical-epidemiologic profile of Aids patients of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, with presenting opportunistic infections

Abstract

The medical records of 296 patients with AIDS seen at the University Hospital,Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto,University of São Paulo (UHCFMRP) from 1987 to 1991 were reviewed in order to study the clinical and epidemologic characteristics of these patients. The following parameters were analyzed: age, race, sex, origin, risk behavior, types of infectious complications, probable cause of death, and survival time. Most of the patients resided in Ribeirão Preto (72%). Mean age was 30 years,with 89% of the patients being younger than 40, and there was a predominance of males (85%) and of the white race (78%); 54% reported the use of illicit intravenous drugs, 13% reported being homosexual, and 10% reported being heterosexual. The most frequent infectious complications were oral candidiasis (80%), bacterial pneumonia (36%), P. carinii pneumonia (34%), pulmonary tubeculosis (32%), neurotoxoplasmosis (29%), candidiasis of the esophagus (24%), neurocryptococcosis (16%), and histoplasmosis (5%). Most patients (68%) presented 3 or more concomitant infectious complications,a fact that was associated with a higher mortality rate (85%). Median survival time after the diagnosis of AIDS was only 4 months. Neurocryptococcosis was the most frequent complication associated with death (46%), followed by neurotoxoplasmosis (35%), bacterial pneumonia (33%), P. carinii pneumonia (23%), and tuberculosis (17%). We conclude that patients with AIDS group IV C seen at UHCFMRP present the following characteristics: young male intravenous drug abusers, with multiple concomitant opportunistic infections of high lethality, with a short survival. The most frequent causes of death were infections of the central nervous system and pulmonary complications.