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. 2024 Jun 6;13(11):3346.
doi: 10.3390/jcm13113346.

Hospitalizations for Acute Otitis and Sinusitis in Patients Living with HIV: A Retrospective Analysis of a Tertiary Center in Romania

Vlad Ștefan Pleșca  1   2 , Victor Daniel Miron  1   2 , Adrian Gabriel Marinescu  1   2 , Anca Cristina Drăgănescu  1   2 , Anca Doina Pleșca  1 , Oana Săndulescu  1   2   3 , Cătălina Voiosu  1 , Răzvan Hainăroșie  1 , Anca Streinu-Cercel  1   2   3
Affiliations

Hospitalizations for Acute Otitis and Sinusitis in Patients Living with HIV: A Retrospective Analysis of a Tertiary Center in Romania

Vlad Ștefan Pleșca et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Acute or chronic ear, nose and throat (ENT) conditions in people living with HIV can lead to hospitalization and affect their quality of life. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency and characteristics of hospitalizations for acute sinusitis (AS) and acute otitis (AO) in people living with HIV. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis over the course of six years (from January 2018 to December 2023), assessing all hospitalizations for AS and/or AO occurring in patients living with HIV, at the largest infectious diseases hospital in Romania. Results: We identified a total of 179 cases, among which 149 cases (83.2%) were attributed to AS and 41 cases (22.9%) were due to AO. Among cases of AS, maxillary sinuses were most frequently involved (n = 140/149, 94.0%), and among cases of AO, acute congestive otitis media (n = 14, 34.1%) and acute purulent otitis media (n = 13, 31.7%) were the most common forms. The underlying HIV infection was classified as stage C3 in 57.5% of cases. In 19.6% of cases, it was possible to identify either the trigger or the etiological agent, and the most frequent bacterial pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study highlights that hospitalizations due to acute sinus and ear involvement are not isolated events in people living with HIV. A prospective follow-up is needed to gain a deeper and more dynamic understanding of how ENT health is affected in people with HIV infection. Furthermore, promoting prevention through vaccination may reduce to a certain extent the burden of ENT infections in this population.

Keywords: HIV; acute otitis; acute sinusitis; hospitalization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Case distribution of patients in the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HIV infection stage of patients in the study (A, B, C—are the HIV stages).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Frequency of types of acute sinusitis and otitis. The percentages have been calculated by taking as the denominator the total number of cases of AS and AO, as shown in the text. AMS—acute maxillary sinusitis, AES—acute ethmoid sinusitis, AFS—acute frontal sinusitis, ASS—acute sphenoid sinusitis, ACOM—acute congestive otitis media, APOM—acute purulent otitis media, AOME—acute otitis media with effusion, and AOE—acute otitis externa.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Median length of hospitalization by type of otic or sinus involvement.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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