Hospitalizations and its related factors in HIV/AIDS patients in Tehran, Iran

  Background: HIV/AIDS patients are mainly hospitalized for HIV-related diseases and opportunistic infections. Thisstudy was performed todetermine thecauses ofhospitalization and its related factors in HIV/AIDS patients in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Hospital during 2009-2012.   Methods: Thisstudy wasa descriptive cross-sectionalstudy . HIV patients admitted to the Imam Khomeini Hospital were included in the study through censusmethod, during the study. Demographic variables, hepatitis co-infection, CD4 count, history of receiving anti- retroviral therapy (ART), cause of admission, length of hospitalization and patient's outcome were recorded . Data were analyzed by SPSS software and by means of Chi-square and Mann Whitney U tests .   Results: Duringthe study,555HIV patientswere included in,84.9 % of whom were male, with the mean age of 36.59±8.51years and the average length of hospitalization for 16.04±18.82 days.   Opportunistic infections were the most common cause of hospitalization (46.5%) with prevalent of which was pulmonary tuberculosis being the most prevalent (37.6%).   Patientssuffering fromopportunistic infectionshadsignificantlylowerCD4countand longer hospitalizationthan theother diseases.   A significant difference was detected between patients outcome and the history of ART.   Conclusion: Low CD4 count may contribute to an increase in number and length of hospitalization in HIV/AIDS patients. Accordingly, it appears to affect outcome of their treatment and ART was accompanied by a drop in the death rate of hospitalized patients.