AEGiS-14IAC: AIDS in Tunisian woman. A study of 92 cases.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

AIDS in Tunisian woman. A study of 92 cases.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. C10662)

Zouiten F, Said AB, Ammari L, Slim A, Tiouiri H, Goubantini A, Kilani B, Kanoun F, Chaabane TB
Hopital la Rabta, Tunis, Tunisia

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to evaluate the prevalence of HIV infection in Tunisian women, the route of transmission, the main clinical symptoms and the mortality.

METHODS: It's a retrospective study about 92 cases of HIV-1 infection among adult tunisian women hospitalized or consulting in the department of infectious disease at Rabta hospital ( Tunis-North Africa) over a period of 16 years (1986-2001). Are studied the epidemiological, clinical, biological, radiological and evolution data.

RESULTS: The prevalence of HIV-1 infection in Tunisian women is 21.1% (92 / 435). The middle age is 33.2 years. 64.1% of patients are married, the conjoint is HIV-1 positive in 84.1% of cases. The route of transmission is sexual in 75%, parenteral in 22.8%, and unknown in 2.2%. According to CD4 level and clinical symptoms, patients are at AIDS stage in 75.5%. The main clinical symptoms are: oral candidiasis in 92.4%, genital infections in 64.8%, diarrhea in 54.3%, pneumocystis carinii pneumoniae in 11.9%, cerebral toxoplasmosis in 10.9%, septicemia caused particularly by salmonella in 9.7%, tuberculosis in 6.7% ( no case of tuberculosis among 40 women who have received preventive therapy against tuberculosis), cryptococcal meningitidis in 4.3%, kaposi sarcoma in 3.2%, co-infectin with hepatitis B virus in 22.4% and with hepatitis C virus in 17.5%. Mother to child transmission is found in 33.3%. The global mortality is noted in 43.5% of cases.

CONCLUSION: Among HIV-1 hospitalized patients, women are infected in about 1/5 of cases, mainly by sexual route. The majority are at AIDS stage, half of them are dead.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, Prevalence, HIV-1, Tuberculosis, Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral, Sarcoma, Kaposi, Pneumonia, Pneumocystis, Candidiasis, Oral, Retrospective Studies, Africa, Northern, Greece, Adult, Human, Female, Child

020707
C10662