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Table-1: Socio-demographic characteristics of studied subjects by in relation to CD4 status were done in a local
gender
setting with limited sample size but specific
Characteristics Male No. (%) Female No. (%) Total No. (%) studies aimed at making standard profile of
Age group (Yrs) different OIs according to CD4 were lacking.8
1-10 1 (1.0) 0 (0) 1 (0.7) So, this study is conducted with a general
11-20 3 (3.0) 0 (0) 3 (2.0) objective to explore the relationship between
21-30 39 (39.0) 25 (50) 64 (42.7) CD4 level and different types of opportunistic
31-40 43 (43.0) 20 (40) 63 (42.0) infections which may be helpful for the
development of guidelines regarding the
41-50 14 (14.0) 4 (8) 18 (12.0)
initiation and monitoring of ART/prophylaxis
51-60 0 (0) 1 (2) 1 (0.7)
in resource limited setting of Nepal.
Total 100 (100) 50 (100) 150 (100) Furthermore, the result of the findings will be
Marital status helpful in the prognosis of different OIs in
Married 56 (56.0) 18 (36.0) 74 (49.3) HIV/AIDS patients.
Unmarried 31 (31.0) 2 (4.0) 33 (22.0)
Widow 9 (9.0) 30 (60.0) 39 (26.0) MATERIALS AND METHODS
Divorced 4 (4.0) 0 (0) 4 (2.7) This work was carried out in Tribhuvan
Total 100 (100.0) 50 (100.0) 150 (100.0) University Teaching Hospital between October
2007 and May 2008. This research was
Education
approved by Institute of Medicine Research
Illiterate 31 (31.0) 31 (62.00 62 (41.3) Committee, Kathmandu. Altogether 150
Primary 44 (44.0) 10 (20.0) 54 (36.1) PLHA volunteers (both symptomatic and
Lower Sec. 2 (2.0) 0 (0) 2 (1.3) asymptomatic) were included in the study.
Secondary 22 (22.0) 8 (16.0%) 30 (20.0) They were selected from TUTH VCT,
Higher Sec. 1 (1.0) 1 (2.0%) 2 (1.3) Maharajgunj; Navakiran Plus HIV/AIDS Care
Total 1 (1.0) 1 (2.0%) 2 (1.3) home Budhanilakantha; Sparsha Nepal HIV/
Occupation AIDS care home, Sanepa and Crisis Centre,
Lalitpur. 25% of 600 HIV positive persons
Unemployed 28 (28.0) 15 (30.0) 43 (28.7)
registered over seven months period in the
Farmer 30 (30.0) 23 (46.0) 53 (35.3) above organizations were randomly selected
NGO/INGO 16 (16.0) 6 (12.0) 22 (14.7) to get a sample size of 150. The interviewer
Teacher 0 (0) 1 (2.0) 1 (0.7) went to these organizations to take the
Volunteer 13 (13.0) 3 (6.0) 16 (10.7) interview and to collect the specimens of the
Business 8 (8.0) 2 (4.00 10 (6.7) identified HIV positive subjects. Patient
Driver 2 (2.0) 0 (0) 2 (1.3) selection was done by random sampling
Foreign job 1 (1.0) 0 (0) 1 (0.7 ) method using the patients’ lists available in the
respective sites.
Student 2 (2.0) 0 (0) 2 (1.3)
Total 100 (100.0) 50 (100.0) 150 (100.0) After taking verbal informed consent, they
HIV transmission were interviewed to fill up the pre-structured
Sexual 49 (49.0) 49 (98.0) 98 (65.3) questionnaire. Then, specimens were collected
which included sputum (three sputa specimen
IDU 49 (49.0) 1 (2.0) 50 (33.3)
– first spot, early morning, and second spot),
Mother to child 2 (2.0) 0 (0) 2 (1.3) stool and oral swab. All the three sputa were
Total 100 (100.0) 50 (100.0) 150 (100.0) used to make separate smear and stained by
Ziehl Neelsen method, early morning sputum
prophylaxis/treatment. Additionally CD4 count is an
was inoculated into a blood agar (for culturing
important parameter for assessing the efficacy of ART.2
pneumococci) and finally it was processed by modified
In 2007, the total number of people living with HIV/ Petroff’s method prior to inoculation into two sets of
AIDS (PLHA) in the world was 33 millions (30 – 36 Lowenstein Jenson media. If the suspected colonies were
millions).6 As of 17 Oct 2009, the recorded number of obtained in the respective culture media they were further
PLHA in Nepal as reported by National centre of AIDS confirmed by the biochemical tests as per standard
and STI control (NCASC) was 14,787.7 So far in Nepal, microbiological laboratory procedure.9 Similarly, a part
only gastrointestinal manifestation in HIV/AIDS patients of stool specimen was used to make wet mount
2
S Sharma et al
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Nepal Medical College Journal