Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May;14(5):1858-1864.
doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1507_24. Epub 2025 May 31.

Clinical presentation and spectrum of opportunistic infections among HIV patients encountered in coastal Karnataka, South India

Jutang Babat Ain Tiewsoh  1   2 , Beena Antony  1
Affiliations

Clinical presentation and spectrum of opportunistic infections among HIV patients encountered in coastal Karnataka, South India

Jutang Babat Ain Tiewsoh et al. J Family Med Prim Care. 2025 May.

Abstract

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects the immune system, bringing the body's defenses down resulting in the occurrence of opportunistic infections (OIs) which account for high morbidity and mortality.

Aims: 1) To analyze the demographic pattern including age, sex, and marital status of HIV seropositive patients. 2) To investigate the clinical presentation, spectrum of OIs, and outcome of HIV-infected individuals.

Settings and design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.

Methods and material: The study was conducted for a period of two years. HIV status was determined following NACO guidelines. Patients of either sex and of any age found to be sero-positive for HIV were included in the study. Demographic information, clinical presentation, different OIs isolated, outcome and determination of CD4 count were recorded.

Statistical analysis used: SPSS version 17-0.

Results: A total of 137 infected individuals were included in the study, the most common presentation on admission was fever followed by gastrointestinal symptoms. Tuberculosis was the most common OI encountered followed by oral candidiasis. The CD4 count showed Tuberculosis having a median value of 162, Oral candidiasis 174, and Pneumonia 214, while others like PCP, Toxoplasma, CMV, Cryptococcus, and Herpes zoster presented with a median value of 96, 101, 369.5, 42, 299.

Conclusions: Fever followed by gastrointestinal symptoms was the most common clinical presentation. Tuberculosis was the most common OI followed by oral candidiasis in patients infected with HIV but other infections were also encountered. Therefore, clinicians on diagnosis of HIV should keep in mind to screen for the common OIs and vice versa.

Keywords: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Cluster of differentiation 4 T lymphocyte cell; Human immunodeficiency virus; Opportunistic infections; Tuberculosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Showing the age-wise distribution of our study population
Figure 2
Figure 2
Showing different OIs about the mean and median CD4 count
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pneumocystis pneumonia-Los Angeles. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1981;30:250–2. - PubMed
    1. Simoes EA, Babu PG, John TJ, Nirmala S, Solomon S, Lakshminarayana CS, et al. Evidence for HTLV-III infection in prostitutes in Tamil Nadu (India) Indian J Med Res. 1987;85:335–8. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization (WHO). HIV and AIDS. [[Last accessed on 2024 May 27]]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids#:~:text=Human%... .
    1. National AIDS Control Organization. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India: HIV Facts & figures. [[Last accessed on 2024 May 27]]. Available from: http://www.naco.gov.in/hiv-facts-figures .
    1. Fauci AS, Lane HC. Human immunodeficiency virus disease: AIDS and related disorders. In: Casper DL, Fauci AS, editors. Harrison's Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. New Delhi: McGraw- Hill Education Books; 2013. pp. 842–942.

LinkOut - more resources