Factors associated with the death of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus hospitalized in the gastroenterology department of the Campus Teaching Hospital of Lomé, Togo.

AIM: To determine the factors associated with the death of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) while hospitalized in the hepato-gastroenterology department of the Lomé University Hospital, Togo. PATIENTS AND
METHOD: A retrospective cross-sectional study reviewed records covering a 10-year period from this department. It included all patients aged 15 years and older who were positive for HIV infection.
RESULTS: The study included 432 HIV+ patients, including 201 men and 231 women (sex ratio: 0.87). Their median age was 41 years (interquartile range: 35 to 48.2 years). The death rate was 15.3 %, and differed significantly between men (19.4%) and women (11.7%) (P = 0.0262). The probability of death increased significantly with age assessed in quartiles (P = 0.0472). Impaired general status, jaundice, and abdominal distension were associated with a high risk of death (P = 0.0017). Conditions unrelated to HIV that were associated with a high risk of death were hepatocellular carcinoma, cirrhosis, and toxic hepatitis (P < 0.0001). Anemia and CD4 count were not associated with death.
CONCLUSION: Death was associated with social and demographic (male sex and age) and clinical (altered general status, jaundice, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and toxic hepatitis) factors.