Caracterização clínica, epidemiológica e laboratorial dos pacientes HIV em início de terapia antirretroviral no Hospital Universitário do Tocantins, 2019

Abstract

HIV infection is a prominent contemporary issue in public health. The behavior of HIV infection in the Northern region of Brazil contrasts with other regions, showing an upward trend in the number of new cases and deaths annually. The aim of the study was to characterize and describe patients who started using antiretroviral therapy treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases of the Federal University of Tocantins (HDT-UFT), located in the municipality of Araguaína, North of the state of Tocantins, in 2019. This is an epidemiological study with a retrospective, documentary, cross sectional, descriptive and quantitative approach. In the period, it was found that 119 patients started using antiretroviral therapy (ART), of which 98 patients were included in this study, 21 patients were excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria. The study showed a predominance of male individuals (74.5%), single (72.2%) aged 18 to 39 years (75.5%). The predominant education was for Complete High School (38.1%), with formal employment in (56.9%). The members of the survey lived in three different states: Tocantins (93.9%), Pará (5.1%) and Maranhão (1.0%) and the majority in urban areas (96.9%). The mode of HIV transmission was (100%) sexual and with the predominantly heterosexual exposure category (59.3%). The median viral load at the start of ART was 18,733 copies/ml. The median count of LT-CD4+, an important human defense cell, at the time of initiation of ART was 347cell/mm³, showing that 51.02% of all People Living with HIV (PLHIV) were diagnosed late. Not there was an association between epidemiological characteristics and LT-CD4+ count. Of the total number of participants analyzed, 53.1% had at least one clinical complication recorded at the beginning of ART. Regarding the parameters of laboratory tests, a lower mean was observed in participants with LT-CD4+ count < 350 cells/mm³. A Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) associated with the serological marker of syphilis stands out, with 26% of the reagent tests. Based on the characteristics described from the data obtained, it is evident that actions aimed at timely diagnosis for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections will be necessary in order to prevent patients from reaching health services in advanced stages of immunological deterioration and/ or with the presence of coinfections.