Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen Seroconversion In Hiv-infected Individual After Pegylated Interferon-alpha Treatment: A Case Report.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects from 6 to 14% of HIV-infected individuals. Concurrent HIV/HBV infection occurs due to the overlapping routes of transmission, particularly sexual and parenteral. HIV-infected patients that have acute hepatitis B have six times greater risk of developing chronic hepatitis B, with higher viral replication, rapid progression to end-stage liver disease and shorter survival. The coinfection is also associated with poor response to hepatitis B treatment with interferon-alpha and increased liver toxicity to the antiretroviral therapy. Herein, we describe the case of a 35-year-old man who engages in sex with men and presented with newly diagnosed HIV-1, serological markers for acute hepatitis B and progression to chronic hepatitis B infection (HBsAg+ > 6 months, high alanine aminotransferase levels and moderate hepatitis as indicated by liver biopsy). Lacking indication of antiretroviral treatment (CD4 768 cells/mm3), he was treated with pegylated-interferon alpha2b (1.5 mg/kg/week) by subcutaneous injection for 48 weeks. Twelve weeks after treatment, the patient presented HBeAg seroconversion to anti-HBe. At the end of 48 weeks, he presented HBsAg seroconversion to anti-HBs. One year after treatment, the patient maintained sustained virological response (undetectable HBV-DNA). The initiation of antiretroviral therapy with nucleosides and nucleotides is recommended earlier for coinfected individuals. However, this report emphasizes that pegylated interferon remains an important therapeutic strategy to be considered for selected patients, in whom the initiation of HAART may be delayed.193

Analysis of sociodemographic, clinical and laboratory features of people over 13 years old living with HIV / AIDS in western Pará and AIDS incidence trends in Santarém

A infecção pelo vírus da imunodeficiência humana na Amazônia tem-se mostrado como um dos mais recentes desafios para o enfrentamento da epidemia de HIV/aids no Brasil. Estudos epidemiológicos baseados em dados de incidência mostram tendência de crescimento da epidemia na região Norte do país. O Serviço de Assistência Especializada de Santarém é referência em assistência às pessoas com HIV/aids de 25 municípios das mesorregiões do baixo Amazonas e sudoeste do Pará. Os objetivos do presente trabalho consistem em descrever as características sociodemográficas, clínicas e laboratoriais de pessoas vivendo com HIV à admissão nesse serviço de referência, comparando-as entre os períodos: 1999 a 2002(P1), 2003 a 2006(P2) e 2007 a 2010(P3) e analisar as tendências de incidência de aids em Santarém entre 1999 e 2010. As informações referentes às variáveis de interesse foram obtidas em revisão de prontuários. Foram calculados os coeficientes de incidência padronizados a partir dos casos notificados de aids em Santarém, obtidos em bases de dados nacionais e locais. A análise de tendência de incidência foi realizada por modelos de regressão polinomial. A maioria dos 527 sujeitos (62,4%) foi admitida em P3, com 24,1% e 13,5% em P2 e P1, respectivamente. Observou-se aumento significativo da participação de indivíduos não procedentes de Santarém em P3 em comparação a P1. Verificou-se diferença significativa entre os sexos com relação ao motivo de realização da testagem pelo fato do conhecimento da soropositividade do parceiro ter motivado a testagem entre as mulheres em P1 e P2. Enquanto a presença de sinais e sintomas sugestivos de HIV/aids motivou o teste em homens durante todo o período avaliado. Houve redução significativa das medianas de linfócitos T CD4+ à admissão em P3, em relação a P1 e P2. Foram notificados 336 casos novos de aids em Santarém no período de 1999 a 2010. Foi encontrada tendência significativa de crescimento da epidemia em Santarém em ambos os sexos, e nas categorias de exposição ao HIV heterossexual e homo/bissexual no sexo masculino. O crescimento da demanda assistencial no serviço de Santarém, com incremento do número de pacientes procedentes de municípios menores e, admitidos em estadios tardios da infecção, associada à tendência de crescimento de incidência de aids em Santarém no período estudado, sugerem que as intervenções programáticas implementadas na região podem ter contribuído para o reconhecimento de maior número de casos de aids, porém ainda não possibilitaram o diagnóstico mais precoce. Acredita-se que estratégias de vigilância epidemiológica de segunda geração poderiam subsidiar de modo mais eficiente as intervenções programáticas voltadas ao controle da epidemia em uma região caracterizada por apresentar fatores individuais, sociais e programáticos que conferem vulnerabilidade acrescida à infecção pelo HIV.Infection with human immunodeficiency virus within the Amazon region has been shown as one of the latest challenges confronting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Brazil. Epidemiological studies based on incidence data show an increasing trend in AIDS incidence in the Brazilian North region. The specialized HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic of Santarém is the reference healthcare setting that provides care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) from 25 municipalities of the Lower Amazon and southwestern Pará regions. The aims of this study are to describe socio-demographic, clinical and laboratory features of PLHA at time of admission to this reference clinic, comparing them among the following periods: 1999 to 2002 (P1), 2003 and 2006 (P2) and 2007 and 2010 (P3), and to analyze AIDS incidence trends in Santarém between 1999 and 2010. Information about variables of interest was obtained by review of medical records. Standardized AIDS incidence rates were calculated, based on cases reported in Santarém, using data obtained from national and local databases. Incidence trend analysis was performed by polynomial regression. Out of 527 records, 62.4% of patients were admitted to the clinic in P3, 24.1% and 13.5% in P2 and P1, respectively. A significant increase was seen in the participation of individuals from cities other than Santarém in P3, as compared to P1. There was a significant gender difference in the reason to be tested for HIV, as women were more likely to have been tested due to a seropositive partner in P1 and P2, whereas existing signs and symptoms of HIV/AIDS predominated among men as the reason for testing throughout the study period. A significant reduction in median CD4+ cell counts at admission was noticed comparing P3 to P1 and P2. 336 AIDS cases were reported in Santarém from 1999 to 2010. An increasing AIDS incidence trend was found for both genders, and for both heterosexual and homo/bisexual among males. The increasing local demand for HIV/AIDS care, with larger numbers of cases coming from smaller cities and admitted in later stages of HIV infection, taken together with the increasing AIDS incidence trend in Santarém during the study period suggest that even though programmatic interventions may have succeeded in identifying more AIDS cases, they were not able to lead to an earlier diagnosis. We believe that the implementation of second generation surveillance strategies in this region could guide programmatic interventions for the control of the epidemic more efficiently, in a context characterized by individual, social and programmatic factors related to a high vulnerability to HIV infection

HIV testing and clinical status upon admission to a specialized health care unit in Pará, Brazil

<div><p>OBJECTIVE To analyze the clinical and laboratory characteristics of HIV-infected individuals upon admission to a reference health care center.METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted between 1999 and 2010 on 527 individuals with confirmed serological diagnosis of HIV infection who were enrolled in an outpatient health care service in Santarém, PA, Northern Brazil. Data were collected from medical records and included the reason for HIV testing, clinical status, and count of peripheral CD4+ T lymphocytes upon enrollment. The data were divided into three groups, according to the patient’s year of admission – P1 (1999-2002), P2 (2003-2006), and P3 (2007-2010) – for comparative analysis of the variables of interest.RESULTS In the study group, 62.0% of the patients were assigned to the P3 group. The reason for undergoing HIV testing differed between genders. In the male population, most tests were conducted because of the presence of symptoms suggesting infection. Among women, tests were the result of knowledge of the partner’s seropositive status in groups P1 and P2. Higher proportion of women undergoing testing because of symptoms of HIV/AIDS infection abolished the difference between genders in the most recent period. A higher percentage of patients enrolling at a more advanced stage of the disease was observed in P3.CONCLUSIONS Despite the increased awareness of the number of HIV/AIDS cases, these patients have identified their serological status late and were admitted to health care units with active disease. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Pará presents specificities in its progression that indicate the complex characteristics of the epidemic in the Northern region of Brazil and across the country.</p></div

Hepatitis B virus surface antigen seroconversion in HIV-infected individual after pegylated interferon-alpha treatment: a case report

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects from 6 to 14% of HIV-infected individuals. Concurrent HIV/HBV infection occurs due to the overlapping routes of transmission, particularly sexual and parenteral. HIV-infected patients that have acute hepatitis B have six times greater risk of developing chronic hepatitis B, with higher viral replication, rapid progression to end-stage liver disease and shorter survival. The coinfection is also associated with poor response to hepatitis B treatment with interferon-alpha and increased liver toxicity to the antiretroviral therapy. Herein, we describe the case of a 35-year-old man who engages in sex with men and presented with newly diagnosed HIV-1, serological markers for acute hepatitis B and progression to chronic hepatitis B infection (HBsAg+ > 6 months, high alanine aminotransferase levels and moderate hepatitis as indicated by liver biopsy). Lacking indication of antiretroviral treatment (CD4 768 cells/mm 3 ), he was treated with pegylated-interferon alpha2b (1.5 mg/kg/week) by subcutaneous injection for 48 weeks. Twelve weeks after treatment, the patient presented HBeAg seroconversion to anti-HBe. At the end of 48 weeks, he presented HBsAg seroconversion to anti-HBs. One year after treatment, the patient maintained sustained virological response (undetectable HBV-DNA). The initiation of antiretroviral therapy with nucleosides and nucleotides is recommended earlier for coinfected individuals. However, this report emphasizes that pegylated interferon remains an important therapeutic strategy to be considered for selected patients, in whom the initiation of HAART may be delayed

Risk factors for Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia in nonventilated adults

Although most recent publications focus on Ventilator-associated Pneumonia, Non-Ventilator-associated Hospital-acquired pneumonia (NVHAP) is still worrisome. We studied risk factors for NVHAP among patients admitted to a small teaching hospital. Sixty-six NVHAP case patients and 66 controls admitted to the hospital from November 2005 through November 2006 were enrolled in a case-control study. Variables under investigation included: demographic characteristics, comorbidities, procedures, invasive devices and use of medications (Sedatives, Antacids, Steroids and Antimicrobials). Univariate and multivariable analysis (hierarchical models of logistic regression) were performed. The incidence of NVHAP in our hospital was 0.68% (1.02 per 1,000 patients-day). Results from multivariable analysis identified risk factors for NVHAP: age (Odds Ratio[OR]=1.03, 95% Confidence Interval[CI]=1.01-1.05, p=0.002), use of Antacids (OR=5.29, 95%CI=1.89-4.79, p=0.001) and Central Nervous System disease (OR=3.13, 95%CI=1.24-7.93, p=0.02). Although our findings are coherent with previous reports, the association of Antacids with NVHAP recalls a controversial issue in the physiopathology of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia, with possible implications for preventive strategies