Clinical Features of Emergency Department Visits by Patients Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Need for Infection Control

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features of emergency department (ED) visits by patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the need for infection control strategies. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed electronic ED logs and medical records to find all ED visits by HIV-infected patients from November 1999 to May 2004. The demographic data, the ED disposition, and the length of ED or hospital stay were collected from the ED logs. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from the medical records. RESULTS: A total of 91 ED visits by HIV-infected 57 patients were considered. The mean age of the patients was 40.7+/-10.9 years, and 91.2% of the patients were male. Among these visits, 53 (58.2%) involved AIDS-related conditions (the AIDS-related group); the other 38 visits by HIV-infected patients were for non-AIDS-related reasons (the non-AIDSrelated group). There was no statistical difference between AIDS-related and non-AIDS-related groups in the length of ED stay (33.2 vs. 39.8 hours, p=.458). Fever was the most common complaint (n=23, 16.0%). As categorized diagnoses, constitutional symptoms were the most common (n=38, 26.4%). A total of 51 patient-visits (56.0%) were admitted to the hospital, and the most common final diagnosis was pulmonary disease (n=22, 43.1%). The number of ED visits by patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis was 15 (16.5%), which represented 22.4% of ED visits by patients with constitutional or respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSION: Fever was the most common cause of ED visits by HIV-infected patients, and pulmonary disease was the most common diagnosis. Patients with the active pulmonary tuberculosis who need respiratory isolation are common among HIV-infected patients.