Improving Opportunistic Infection Rates in Filipino HIV Patients with Increased Access to Antiretroviral Therapy

Background: HIV in the Philippines continues to increase rapidly. With increased antiretroviral (ARV) use and better case detection, the prevalence and proportions of opportunistic infections (OIs) may have changed. The objective of this study is to determine recent OI rates and compare these with past studies.

Methods:  Following ethics approval, charts of HIV patients at the Philippine General Hospital SAGIP clinic were reviewed for OIs from January 2012 to November 2014. OI rates were compared to a previous study done in the same institution prior to 2012 (Salvana et al., 2012 https://idsa.confex.com/idsa/2012/webprogram/Paper36414.html)

Results: 253 (16.3%) of 1,549 HIV patients in the study presented with at least one OI. 432 (35.1%) OIs were documented (some with >1 OI). The most common OI was tuberculosis (TB), followed by candidiasis and Pneumocystis pneumonia. There is a significant decrease in the overall prevalence of OIs compared to prior 2012 (p<0.001), as well as TB (p<0.001), PCP (p<0.001) & CMV (p=0.005), and in the mortality rates of TB (p=0.018). Candidiasis rates did go up significantly (p<0.001).

Table 1. OIs among Filipino HIV patients from 2012-2014

Table 2. Comparative prevalence of OIs among Filipino HIV patients

Conclusion: The overall prevalence of OIs in Filipinos with HIV has decreased as ARV coverage has increased. TB and PCP remain among the leading OIs in the Philippines, although the prevalence of both is decreasing.