Pleural and pericardial effusions: rare presentations of brucellosis, Iran

We report a rare case of brucellosis presenting with pleural and pericardial effusions in a 35 year-old male rancher in Iran with fever and dyspnea. Such findings should prompt inclusion of brucellosis in the differential diagnosis in endemic areas

Assessing the prevalence of HIV among Afghan immigrants in Iran through rapid HIV testing in the field

Throughout the world, many migrant and mobile populations are at elevated risk for HIV. Iran has a large immigrant population from neighboring Afghanistan; however, few data exist on the prevalence of HIV in this community. In 2008, we conducted a study to assess the presence of HIV infection among 477 immigrants in a town to the northeast of Tehran using a rapid test in the field. HIV prevalence was 0.2% [95% CI 0.005-1.2] with one person HIV-positive. We recommend periodic HIV sero-surveillance with detailed behavioral measures for this population in the future

Respiratory complications in Iranian hospitalized patients with HIV/AIDS

The respiratory tract has been the most commonly affected site of illness in HIV-infected patients. The current study was done to identify the frequency of respiratory complications in a consecutive case series of HIV-positive patients in Iran. This study was a retrospective analysis at the national academic reference medical center of Imam-Khomeini Hospital, in Tehran, Iran. The study included 199 new admissions for 177 HIV-infected patients between 2000 and 2005. Demographic characteristics, risk factors for HIV infection, respiratory complications, and CD4+ lymphocyte counts were evaluated in these patients. All patients were males. The mean age was 35 years [age range: 15 to 63 years]. Among 34 cases with available CD4+ lymphocyte count results, 70.6% had results <200 cells/mm[3]. Nearly half the patients [47.7%] had respiratory symptoms. The most common pulmonary complications were cough [86.3%], sputum [71.6%], dyspnea [54.7%], and hemoptysis [10.5%]. The most common diagnosis was pulmonary tuberculosis [27.1%], followed by other bacterial pneumonias [16.6%] and pneumocystis carinii pneumonia [4.5%]. Intravenous drug users who had history of incarceration had the highest risk factors for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection [59%], and other bacterial pneumonias [52%].Our study demonstrates that respiratory complications are highly frequent in HIV patients in Iran and that pulmonary tuberculosis is still a common complication in HIV infected patients, despite the availability of effective treatment. Results suggest the need for more effective preventive and prophylactic measures, wider use of antiretroviral treatment and effective chemotherapy for Iranian patients with HIV/AIDS