International Journal of STD & AIDS > Volume 19, Number 7 > Pp. 450-454

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Original research articles

Mortality of the elderly is still exceedingly high at diagnosis of AIDS despite favourable outcomes after highly active antiretroviral therapy in Recife, Brazil

H R Lacerda MD PhD ^*   and D Kitner MD MSc ^* 

^* Postgraduate Course in Sciences of Health, Federal University of Pernambuco; Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Clinic, University Hospital of the Federal University of Pernambuco; Hospital Correia Picanço, Department of Health of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Correspondence to: Heloisa Ramos Lacerda, Rua: Professora Anunciada da Rocha Melo, 97 apt 501, 50710-390 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil Email: helramos{at}terra.com.br

This study aimed to compare the outcome of an elderly group of AIDS patients with that of a younger group and their features at the time of the diagnosis of AIDS. We evaluated 58 patients aged >60 years and 114 aged 20–39 years, followed for 35.3 months. There was an obvious delay in diagnosing the elderly as they had more AIDS-defining diseases at diagnosis and their most frequent opportunistic infection was pulmonary tuberculosis. Mortality at the time of the diagnosis of AIDS was four times higher in the elderly (24.1% versus 6.1%, P < 0.001). However, when comparing only those submitted to highly active antiretroviral therapy, there was a similar frequency of favourable outcomes; 76.9% in the elderly against 83.1% in the young (P = 0.455). Mean CD4 lymphocyte was 438 cells/mm³ at the end of follow up in the young when compared with 442 cells/mm³ in the elderly (P = 0.945). The types of antiretroviral schema and the number of antivirals per patient were similar in both groups.

Key Words: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome • elderly • highly active antiretroviral therapy

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