Ali Nikfarjam
Tehran University of Medicine Sciences, IRAN
Title: Evaluation of the survival rate and prognostic factors affecting the long-term survival of HIV/AIDS patients in South of Tehran District Health Center in 2014
Biography
Biography: Ali Nikfarjam
Abstract
Infection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is one of the grave health concerns confronting global public health. According to UNIDS recent statistics, more than 35 million people have died and about 30 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS. There remains a need to better understand the prognostic factors affecting the long-term survival in patients with HIV/AIDS, particularly in developing countries. We extracted data from 487 patients’ medical records available at a clinic for behavioral diseases in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The sample included 433 (88.9%) male patients while 54 (11.1%) of the subjects were female. The mean age and related standard deviation of the patients were 39.4 and 11.8 years, respectively. The outcomes of interest were the survival rates of progression to death in AIDS-positive subjects. The effect of several prognostic factors on survival time was investigated. One-year, five-year and ten-year survival rates from time of AIDS diagnosis to death were 91%, 73% and 31%, respectively. Hazard ratio of progression to death in AIDS-positive subjects who were co-infected with tuberculosis was 5.66 (p=0.001) whereas hazard ratio of death from AIDS-related causes was 3.20 in patients who did not receive highly active antiretroviral therapy compared to those who did (p=0.04). Co-infection with tuberculosis was one of the most important prognostic factors of progression of AIDS. Antiretroviral treatment was found to be an effective measure in suppressing HIV viral replication and improving the survival of patients living with AIDS.