Ent/head and neck manifestations in newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients as seen at the Mbingo baptist general hospital Cameroon

Abstract

BACKGROUND: HIV / AIDS is a fatal illness which breaks down the body's immunity and leaves the victim vulnerable to life threatening opportunistic infections, neurological disorders and unusual malignancies. About 80% of patients with HIV infection present with ENT/HI - symptoms. Often the otolaryngologist may the primary physician that diagnoses the HIV infection. He should be aware and vigilant for its unusualpresentations AIM: To determine the ENT /HN manifestations in newly diagnosed HIV/ AIDS patients. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive cross sectional study SETTING.: Mbingo Baptist General Hospital, Cameroon METHODOLOGY: Patients who met the inclusion criteria were consecutively " recruited in to the study. A medical history and physical examination focusing on the head and neck region was carried out and the findings entered in to a data collection form. DATA ANALYSIS: The data was coded and analyzed using EPI-INFO version 8.Conclusions and recommendations weremade based on these results. RESULTS: Out of the 173, newly diagnosed HIV/ AIDS patients recruited in this study 96% of them were found ,to have ENT/HN manifestations.' Cervical lymphadenopathy was. the most common finding(66.50%) followed by oral candidiasis(38.70), papulopruritic rash(15.70), parotomegally(13.86% ), acute rhinosinusitis (11.56%).This study has also shown that there is a correlation between

the number of ENT lesions and the WHO clinical stage of HIV/ AIDS .. , (p<o.ool).More females were.affected more 'that males and the females were affected at a younger age than males. CONCLUSION: ENT /HN manifestations are common in patient infected with HIV/ AIDS. This study has shown that 96%,of HIV/ AIDS infected patients present with ENT/HN lesions. The commonest ENT/HN lesions are: cervical lymphadenopathy, oralj pharyngeal candidiasis, papulopruritic dermatitis, rhinosinusitis, parotomegally, hairy leucoplakia, vestibulitis, CSOM, and facial nerve palsy.