ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the prevalence of cryptococcal antigenemia and explore the related cryptococcal lesions in hospitalized human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV )-infected patients . Methods Medical records of 517 HIV-infected patients ,including patients'age ,sex ,clinical features , previous medical history ,laboratory tests ,chest CT ,treatment and the response to treatment ,in the Second Hospital of the Nanjing between January 2016 and February 2018 were retrospectively analyzed . The serum cryptococcal antigen (sCrAg) was detected by lateral flow immunoassay .The χ2 test or Fisherexact test was used to perform the statistical analysis .Results Among 517 HIV-infected cases ,51 were sCrAg positive ,of whom 96 .1％ (49 cases) were men .The cases with CD4+ T lymphocyte count <100 × 106 cells/L accounted for 66 .2％ (342 cases) ,while 90 .2％ (46 cases) in sCrAg-positive patients showed CD4+ T lymphocyte count < 100 × 106 cells/L with statistical significance (χ2 = 14 .6 , P< 0 .01 ) . Multivariable analysis revealed that CD4+ T lymphocyte count <100 × 106 cells/L was independent risk factor for cryptococcal antigenemia (OR= 4 .7;95％ CI:1 .8 -12 .5 , P< 0 .01) .Clinical cryptococcal diseases were found in 76 .4％ (39/51 ) of patients with cryptococcal antigenemia , and cryptococcal meningitis (CM) ,pulmonary cyptococcosis (PC) and cryptococcal septicemia were found in 56％ (28/50) ,52 .9％ (27/51) and 44 .4％ (16/36) of the patients ,respectively .Cryptoccal disease was not identified in 21 .6％ (11/51 ) of the patients with cryptococcal antigenemia (isolated cryptococcal antigenemia) .The median (range) sCrAg titers of the patients with and without CM were 1:1280 (1:10-1:2560) and 1 :15 (1:2-1:2560) ,respectively (P<0 .01) .The proportion of CM in patients with sCrAg titers ≤1:5 ,1:10 -1:320 and ≥1:640 were 0 (0/10) ,50％ (10/20) and 90％ (18/20) , respectively .When cryptococcal infection was restricted to the lung ,87 .5％ (7/8) of the patients had sCrAg titers ≤1:20 .30％ (3/10) of the patients with sCrAg titers ≤1:5 had PC .The median (range) sCrAg titers of the patients with cryptococcal septicemia and with isolated cryptococcal antigenemia were 1:1280 (1:10 -1:2560 ) and 1:5 (1:2 -1:320 ) , respectively . Conclusions T he prevalence of cryptococcal antigenmia is high in hospitalized HIV-infected patients . Most patients with cryptococcal antigenemia have developed cryptococcal diseases .The sCrAg titer in HIV patients may ,in some extend , predicts the condition of cryptococcal infection .sCrAg titers ≥ 1:640 are strongly suggestive of CM . Patients with sCrAg titers ≤1:5 seems unlikely to have CM or cryptococcal septicemia ,however ,clinician should still be alarmed of possible PC .