Pattern of opportunistic infections in HIV Patients who fail first line antiretroviral therapy in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Opportunistic infections (OIs) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in persons living with human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) infection and may be an indication of failure of antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at a large HIV clinic of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), North-central Nigeria. Hundred patients were randomly selected from a sample frame of 320 patients on antiretroviral therapy of at least 6 months who failed ART.
Results: Fifty-nine (59%) were females. The mean age of the patients was 41 ± 9 years. The median duration on ART was 7.5months IQR (6-17) and the median CD4 cell count was 139 3 cell/ml IQR (69-245). The prevalence of OIs was 26% with the following frequencies: oral/ vaginal candidiasis 39%, chronic diarrhoea 26%, dermatitis 23% and pulmonary tuberculosis 13%. Neither age, sex, ART default, hepatitis co-infection, baseline CD4 count, nor CD4 count at the time of virological failure was associated with OIs.
Conclusion: Oral/vaginal candidiasis, diarrhoeal diseases, and tuberculosis are common opportunistic infections in HIV patients who fail first line antiretroviral therapy. No risk factor was associated with virological failure in this cohort of patients.

Keywords: Opportunistic infections, HIV, antiretroviral therapy.