Thirty-day readmission rates in a cohort of people living with HIV in southern Brazil, 2015 to 2017.

BACKGROUND: The intense use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced morbidity and mortality of HIV infection. In Brazil, the specific contribution of diseases related to HIV infection leading to hospital admission and readmission is not well known. AIMS: The study aimed to determine the clinico-epidemiological profile, 30-day readmission rate, and factors associated with this outcome in a cohort of adults with HIV infection in southern Brazil. METHODS: Unicentric retrospective cohort, with data collection through the review of medical records and databases. RESULTS: We analyzed 574 index hospitalizations and 451 individuals. Of these, 57.6% were men and the mean (±SD) age was 42.2 ± 12.3 years. Only 43.4% used ART regularly and low CD4 count and high frequency of detectable viral load were observed. HIV/AIDS-related diseases were identified in 55.2%, and tuberculosis was the most frequent etiology leading to index hospitalization. We found a 30-day readmission rate of 11.5% and hospitalization for HIV/AIDS-related illness was associated with a higher risk for the outcome. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the need to expand resources for prevention, early diagnosis, retention, and treatment of people living with HIV in the region to reduce HIV/AIDS-associated diseases and possibly minimize consequent hospital readmission of these individuals.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Tuberculosis Coinfection in a Tertiary Hospital in Southern Brazil: Clinical Profile and Outcomes.

Worldwide, the convergence of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection epidemics is a public health challenge. In Brazil, TB is the leading cause of death by infectious disease in people living with HIV (PLWH). This study aimed to report the clinical, demographic, epidemiological, and laboratory data for TB in PLWH. This cross-sectional study involved a retrospective analysis of data for patients with TB/HIV coinfection who attended from 2006 to 2015 through a review of medical records. A total of 182 patients were identified, of whom 12 were excluded. Patients were divided according to whether they had pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB; n = 48; 28%) or extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB; n = 122; 72%). The diagnosis was laboratory confirmed in 75% of PTB patients and 78.7% of EPTB patients. The overall 1-year mortality rate was 37.6%, being 22.9% in PTB patients and 69% in EPTB patients; 84% of these deaths were TB-related. The CD4+ count and disseminated TB were independent risk factors for death. The frequency of resistance among Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates was 14%. TB in PLWH is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and severe immunosuppression is a risk factor for death. Appropriate measures for early TB detection should reduce the case fatality rate in high-burden settings.

Young adults HIV-1 infected by vertical transmission in southern Brazil - Clinical, demographic, and virological features.

Combination antiretroviral therapy promotes longer life expectancy, making it possible for perinatally HIV-infected patients to achieve adulthood. Past therapy was not always optimized, suggesting that virological and host features may also play a role in survival. The aim of this study is to describe characteristics of HIV disease progression associated with virological features in adolescents perinatally that were HIV infected. A case series was conducted including 81 patients that were in follow-up at Hospital de Clínicas/Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil. Venous blood was collected to conduct tropism and viral subtype assays. The median age was 19 years old (interquartile range 18-21), and a majority of patients were female (54.3%). Viral subtype was obtained for 66 (82%) patients, and subtypes B and C were found in 34% and 59%, respectively. Tropism assay was conducted in 55 (67%) patients: 71% were R5 and 29% X4. Distribution of viral tropism and subtype shows a significant association of subtype C with R5 tropism. Subtype C is more prevalent in southern Brazil and also in the population infected with HIV by vertical transmission. Both R5 tropism and subtype C are associated with slower progression to AIDS. The survival of these patients may be related to virological features present in a benign pattern of disease progression.