| dc.description.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. | en |
