Hospitalization causes and outcomes in HIV patients in the late antiretroviral era in Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has modified the natural history of HIV-infection: the incidence of opportunistic infections (OIs) has decreased and mortality associated to HIV has improved dramatically. The reasons for hospitalization have changed; OIs are no longer the most common reason for admission. This study describes the patient population, admission diagnosis and hospital course of HIV patients in Colombia in the ART era. METHODS: Patients admitted with HIV/AIDS at six hospitals in Medellin, Colombia between August 1, 2014 and July 31, 2015 were included. Demographic, laboratory, and clinical data were prospectively collected. RESULTS: 551 HIV-infected patients were admitted: 76.0% were male, the median age was 37 (30-49). A new diagnosis of HIV was made in 22.0% of patients during the index admission. 56.0% of patients of the entire cohort had been diagnosed with HIV for more than 1 year and 68.9% were diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease. More than 50.0% of patients had CD4 counts less than 200 CD4 cells/µL and viral loads greater than 100,000 copies. The main reasons for hospital admissions were OIs, tuberculosis, esophageal candidiasis and Toxoplasma encephalitis. The median hospital stay was 14 days (IQR 8-23). Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) was required in 10.3% of patients and 14.3% were readmitted to the hospital; mortality was 5.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to other countries in the developing world, in Colombia, the leading cause of hospitalization among HIV-infected patients remain opportunistic infections. However, in-hospital mortality was low, similar to those described for high-income countries. Strategies to monitor and optimize the adherence and retention in HIV programs are fundamental to maximize the benefit of ART.

Pacientes con tromboembolismo pulmonar: caracterizacion / Patients with pulmonary thromboembolism: characterization

El tromboembolismo pulmonar, es una complicacion frecuente en la practica medica, con una letalidad que oscila entre 13 y 58 %, de acuerdo con su gravedad. Es por esta razon, que es necesario conocer las caracteristicas epidemiologicas y clinicas, de los pacientes con esta patologia en nuestro medio. Metodos:se reslizó un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo,en pacientes atendidos en la Clínica Cardiovascular Sabta María de la ciudad de Medellín, durante los años 1996 a 2004. Resultados: en total, se encontraron 94 registros con diagnóstico de tromboembolismo pulmonar confirmado. el 51% de los pacientes, se encontraban hospitalizados. los principales factores de riesgo encontrados, fueron: trombosis venosa profunda, reposo en cama, síndrome de falla cardíaca y antecedente de enfermedad tromboembolitica...

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE), is a common complication in clinical practice. Mortality is between 13% and 58%, according to severity. Because of that, it is very important to know the epidemiologic and clinic characteristics of patients in our city. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study on patients admitted at the Santa Maria Cardiovascular Clinic ofMedellín, between 1994 and 2004. Results: We found 94 charts with confirmed diagnosis of PE, 51% belonged to inpatients. The main risk factors found, were deep venous thrombosis (DVT), being bedridden, heart failure and patients with priorvenous embolism...

El caso de infecciosas. Histoplasmosis osea / The case of infectious diseases. Histoplasmosis bone

Se presenta el caso de un paciente de 11 años de edad con una lesión lítica en la tibia izquierda, diagnosticada como linfoma de células B y tratado con quimioterapia durante nueve meses, al final de los cuales se observó la presencia de nuevas lesiones líricas en el miembro inferior derecho y la persistencia de las lesiones tibiales izquierdas. La biopsia de estas lesiones reportó estructuras compatibles con H. capsulatum. El paciente fue tratado con itraconazol por 12 meses, terapia que controló adecuadamente el proceso micótico.

This is a case ofa 11 years old boy with a lytic lesion on his left tibia, diagnosed as a B Cell Lymphoma and treated with chemotherapy during nine months, atter which new lytic lesions where noticed on his right inferior limb as well as the persistence of the left tibial lesions. The biopsy yielded structures compatible with H. capsulatum. The patient was treated with ltraconazol during 12 months; the mycotic process was appropriately treated with this therapy.