TITLE:
Causes of Death among HIV-Infected Adults Registered in Selected Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centers in North-Eastern India
AUTHORS:
Chiranjeev Bhattacharjya, Damodar Sahu, Sangram Kishor Patel, Niranjan Saggurti, Arvind Pandey
KEYWORDS:
Causes of Death, HIV, AIDS, Tuberculosis, ART, Assam, Northeastern India
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of AIDS,
Vol.5 No.2,
June
3,
2015
ABSTRACT: Background: Causes of death related studies
in HIV infected population are necessary to devise disease specific preventive
interventions at both state and national level HIV programs. This study
examines the causes of death among HIV-infected individuals registered at
selected Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centers in the era of treatment in
north-eastern India. Data and Methods: A retrospective chart review of causes
of death was undertaken among HIV-infected patients who were treated between
January 2006 and November 2012 at three selected ART centers in Assam, a
north-eastern state of India. Reported causes of death were coded as per the
guidelines of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to
determine the deaths to standard definitions. Results: Among 5612 HIV-infected
patients registered over a period of 71 months, 370 deaths have occurred.
Tuberculosis (28%) was the leading cause of death followed by death due to AIDS
related complex (11%), wasting syndrome and multiple infections (9% each).
Deaths due to selected causes were significantly associated with patient’s use
of alcohol, WHO clinical stage, CD4 count at the time of diagnosis, presence of
opportunistic infections during treatment and ART adherence. Median survival
duration was shortest among patients who had CD4 count