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Multicenter Study
. 2016 Sep;31(5):953-60.
doi: 10.3904/kjim.2014.322. Epub 2016 Apr 27.

Opportunistic diseases among HIV-infected patients: a multicenter-nationwide Korean HIV/AIDS cohort study, 2006 to 2013

Youn Jeong Kim  1 , Jun Hee Woo  2 , Min Ja Kim  3 , Dae Won Park  3 , Joon-Young Song  3 , Shin Woo Kim  4 , Jun Yong Choi  5 , June Myung Kim  5 , Sang Hoon Han  5 , Jin-Soo Lee  6 , Bo Youl Choi  7 , Joo Shil Lee  8 , Sung-Soon Kim  8 , Mee-Kyung Kee  8 , Moon Won Kang  1 , Sang Il Kim  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Opportunistic diseases among HIV-infected patients: a multicenter-nationwide Korean HIV/AIDS cohort study, 2006 to 2013

Youn Jeong Kim et al. Korean J Intern Med. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Background/aims: The frequencies of opportunistic diseases (ODs) vary across countries based on genetic, environmental, and social differences. The Korean HIV/AIDS cohort study was initiated in 2006 to promote research on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Korea, and to provide a logistical network to support multicenter projects on epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory aspects of HIV infection. This study evaluated the prevalence of ODs among HIV-infected patients in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy, and the risk factors associated with ODs.

Methods: The study enrolled 1,086 HIV-infected patients from 19 hospitals. This study examined the baseline data of the HIV/AIDS Korean cohort study at the time of enrollment from December 2006 to July 2013.

Results: Candidiasis was the most prevalent opportunistic infection (n = 176, 16.2%), followed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (n = 120, 10.9%), Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (n = 121, 11.0%), cytomegalovirus infection (n = 52, 4.7%), and herpes zoster (n = 44, 4.0%). The prevalence rates of Kaposi's sarcoma (n = 8, 0.7%) and toxoplasmosis (n = 4, 0.4%) were very low compared with other countries. The risk factors for ODs were a low CD4 T cell count at the time of HIV diagnosis (odds ratio [OR], 1.01; p < 0.01), current smoking (OR, 2.27; p = 0.01), current alcohol use (OR, 2.57; p = 0.04), and a history of tuberculosis (OR, 5.23; p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Using recent Korean nationwide data, this study demonstrated that an important predictor of ODs was a low CD4 T cell count at the time of HIV diagnosis. Tuberculosis remains one of the most important ODs in HIV-infected patients in Korea.

Keywords: AIDS-related opportunistic infections; HIV; Korea; Tuberculosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of CD4 cell count in study patients with opportunistic disease. PCP, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia; CMV, cytomegalovirus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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