[Characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus infection in the San Juan de Dios General Hospital]. / Caracterizacion de la infeccion por el virus de inmunodeficiencia humana, en el Hospital General San Juan de Dios.

PIP: A prospective clinical study was conducted between January 1991 and June 1992 of 92 HIV seropositive patients attending the Adult Outpatient Clinic of the San Juan de Dios General Hospital in Guatemala City. 52 of the patients met the US Centers for Disease Control clinical criteria for AIDS. Limitations in the diagnostic and laboratory facilities of the hospital hampered identification of some opportunistic infections. 74 of the 92 patients were male. 3 of the 18 infected women gave birth during the study period; the status of their children is not yet known. 87% of the cases were in adults aged 18-40. 25 of the patients died during the 18-month study period and 9 were lost to follow-up. 57 of the 92 had lived in the US or Mexico. 43 of the 74 men reported homosexual relations. 6 reported use of intravenous drugs. 3 had received blood transfusions as the only known risk factor. 56 had histories of sexually transmitted diseases. 3 patients reported always using condoms, 57 never did so, and the rest did so occasionally. 52 of the patients had opportunistic infections. 18 had proven and 5 had presumptive extrapulmonary mycobacteria, probably tuberculosis. 2 had salmonella in the blood. 4 had presumptive cytomegalovirus, 6 had chronic mucocutaneous herpes, and 3 had presumptive HIV encephalopathy. 12 had esophageal candidiasis, 6 had extrapulmonary cryptococcosis, and 14 had pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. 13 had proven intestinal cryptosporidiosis, and 1 each had presumptive cerebral toxoplasmosis and extraintestinal strongyloidiasis. 3 had proven Kaposi's sarcoma and 1 had proven immunoblastic lymphoma. 10 had HIV-related weight loss.^ieng