Evaluation of HIV/AİDS patients and endocrinologic pathologies

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the etiologic agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Nowadays AIDS has been accepted as a chronic disease that requires lifelong treatment rather than a fatal disease. In particular, HIV infected individuals are increasingly at risk for developing metabolic and endocrinologic abnormalities. In this study, we aimed to evaluate HIV positive patients and their endocrinologic pathologies retrospectively. The study is conducted at the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology in Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine between June 2009 and September 2015. Patients followed at these dateshave been evaluated retrospectively and theresults of GH, IGF-1, TSH, fT3, fT4, vitamin D, PTH and DEXA have been recorded. Of the patients (n=91), 82,4% male, 17,6% were femaleand the mean age was 38,7± 11,6. On first admission the average of HIV RNA (average ± standard deviation)was 1.272.492 ± 2.982.712 copy/ml and 61,6% of patients had CD4 count below 350/mm3. The most common category B and C diseases were oropharyngeal candidiasis (14,6%) and HIV wasting syndrome (12,3%). Tenofovir/Emtricitabin+Efavirenz (63,7%) was the most common antiretroviral therapy combination. CD4 increase of between pretreatment and 3rd month of treatment, 3rd and 6th month, 6th month and 1st year, 1st and 2nd year of treatment were statistically significiant at all these intervals. Vitamin D deficiency was found in 82,8% of patients and %17,2 of patients had normal vitamin D levels (p:0,001). 46,6% of patients had low fT4. Of the patients with low fT4, %53,7 had CD4 count below 200/mm3. Low fT4 frequency was found to increase with decreasing levels of CD4. In our study, the high average value of HIV RNA and low CD4 count in the majority of patients support that patients were admitted to hospital in late stage of disease. For elucidation of mechanisms of endocrinological pathology and prevention of complications, there is a need for long-term studies with more patients. Key words:Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Antiretroviral Therapy.