Context and objective. People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) are at risk of developing opportunistic infections (OI). The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency and describe the management of opportunistic infections among advanced-stage PLHIV in the provincial city of Kinshasa. Methods. Using a retrospective approach, medical records were collected from a consecutive series of patients (aged 15 and over) on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the 9 Health Care centers for the management of advanced-stage HIV in Kinshasa, between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022. Results. Of the 384 patient records selected, 59.9% were female, with an average age of 43.1 ± 12.6 years. The median duration of HAART was 20 months, with an interquartile range (IQR) of 37.7 months. 94.8% were on first-line treatment with TDF/3TC/DTG. Overall, 61.2% of patients had only one OI. The respiratory system was most affected (69.8%), followed by the digestive system (24.2%). Tuberculosis (TB) (59.1%) was the most frequent OI. The most commonly prescribed therapeutic class was antibiotics. Cotrimoxazole was the most commonly used drug in 79.7% of cases. Conclusion. The study showed that there is a high frequency of OIs, and TB remains the main OI. It is important to focus efforts on measures to improve adherence to HAART and preventive treatment of TB. Received: July 2nd, 2024Accepted: April 2nd, 2025 https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/aamed.v18i3.8
Mahimba et al. (Thu,) studied this question.