Clinical outcomes of patients living with HIV visiting ART centre at a tertiary care hospital in northern Telangana, India: eight years of experience

Abstract

The present retrospective study was aimed to provide information about the prevalence and clinical outcomes of patients living with HIV in Warangal District, in the Northern Telangana region, India. The national AIDS control organization and Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) Institutional Review Board reviewed and approved the study. The study reviewed the clinical charts of 12,837 HIV patients who had been registered at the antiretroviral therapy (ART) centre atMahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital (MGMH) from January 2007 to December 2014. Of the total chart reviewed, 6,438 (50.5%), 5,543 (43.17%), 777 (6.05%), and 79 (0.61%) were males, females, children and transgender, respectively. Increased death rate was observed during 2009 to 2012 [2009 (18.09%); 2010 (17.6%); 2011 (26.6%); 2012 (26.3%)]. Presently, 3,826 (29.8%) patients are alive on ART, out of which 71.77% were on a zidovudine-based treatment regimen and majority of the patients experienced nevirapine-induced skin rashes. Although the incidence of HIV may have plateaued, the HIV pandemic is not in rapid decline. Achieving greater levels of education, prevention, and treatment may well be one of the tools to achieve reduction in HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Keywords: HIV patients, Warangal, India, nevirapine, zidovudine