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Biomedical subjects

K M De Cock

Publications and source records attributed to K M De Cock.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Impact of the HIV epidemic on trends in tuberculosis in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

SETTING: West African capital city with excellent, population-based notification of tuberculosis cases during a decade with a rapidly emerging HIV epidemic. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the HIV epidemic on tuberculosis in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. DESIGN: Review of data on all cases of tuberculosis registered in the city in alternate years from 1981 to 1991 and calculation of population-based rates using census data. Also, systematic study of HIV seroprevalence among tuberculosis patients in 1989 and 1991. RESULTS: In 1981, several years before any health consequences of HIV were discernible in Abidjan, the incidence of tuberculosis was 155 per 100,000. By 1991, the rate of tuberculosis among HIV-seronegative persons had decreased by 38% to 96 per 100,000; however, 43.6% of tuberculosis patients were HIV-infected, and the incidence of tuberculosis among HIV-infected persons was 1104 per 100,000 (relative risk 11.5, 95% CI 10.8-12.3), yielding an overall observed incidence of tuberculosis of 159 per 100,000 population. The population attributable risk of tuberculosis due to HIV infection increased from 36% to 40% between 1989 and 1991. CONCLUSIONS: The HIV epidemic has reversed the expected steep decline in tuberculosis in Abidjan over the past decade, and the impact of HIV infection on the incidence of tuberculosis may be accelerating.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

HIV status of female sex partners of men reactive to HIV-1, HIV-2 or both viruses in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

OBJECTIVES: To compare rates of serologic concordance in the female sex partners of men with HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections, and to determine the serologic status of sex partners of men who reacted serologically to both viruses. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Infectious diseases service in a University Hospital in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa). PARTICIPANTS: Hospitalized men reactive on synthetic peptide-based tests to HIV-1, HIV-2 or both viruses (dually reactive), and their spouses visiting them in hospital. OUTCOME MEASURES: Serologic status of female spouses of seropositive men. RESULTS: The serologic status of 540 spouses of 490 HIV-1- and/or HIV-2-positive, hospitalized men was studied. Similar proportions of spouses of HIV-1-infected men (49%) and HIV-2-infected men (44%) were concordantly seropositive. The overall prevalence of infection in spouses of dually reactive men (72%) was significantly higher than in spouses of other men; 44% of these spouses were infected with HIV-1, 8% with HIV-2, and 20% were themselves dually reactive. Considering only the seropositive female spouses of men monotypically reactive to HIV-1 or HIV-2, and the male spouses of women monotypically infected, rates of serologic discordance were significantly greater in men (24%) than women (7%). CONCLUSIONS: Men were likely to have been infected earlier than women because of their HIV-associated illness; also, men more frequently had serologic profiles indicative of infection outside of the union. Rates of serologic concordance in spouses of men with advanced HIV-1 or HIV-2 infection were similar (44-49%). Dually reactive hospitalized men frequently (72%) had seropositive sex partners, most of whom were HIV-1-positive. Dual reactivity was also frequent in these spouses, suggesting transmission of both HIV-1 and HIV-2, or of a cross-reactive strain, and a minority of partners were infected with HIV-2 alone. Prospective studies of discordant couples using quantitative molecular diagnostic techniques are required for better understanding of dual reactivity and transmission of HIV-1 and HIV-2.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Autopsy-proven causes of death in HIV-infected patients treated for tuberculosis in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

OBJECTIVE: To determine autopsy-proven causes of death in HIV-infected patients treated for tuberculosis in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. METHODS: A computerized listing of 9523 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis and tested for HIV infection at Abidjan's two large tuberculosis treatment centers from July 1989 to December 1991 was matched against a listing of 496 patients who were autopsied in Abidjan's largest public hospital in 1991-1992. RESULTS: Fifteen matching patients were identified including 11 adults with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis, three adults with extrapulmonary tuberculosis, and one child with smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis. The autopsy-proven causes of death among the adults were tuberculosis (n = 4), bacterial infections (n = 3), cerebral toxoplasmosis (n = 2), pulmonary nocardiosis (n = 2), Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (n = 1), atypical mycobacteriosis (n = 1), and wasting syndrome (n = 1). Tuberculosis was the primary cause of death in two of five smear-positive patients who had not completed therapy, in none of the six patients with smear-positive disease who had completed therapy, and in two of the three patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: Chemoprophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) might have provided benefit to eight (57%) of the 14 adults in this series who died either of bacterial infections, toxoplasmosis, nocardiosis, or pneumocystosis. Prospective studies are required to elucidate further the causes of increased mortality, and to evaluate the benefits of TMP-SMX prophylaxis in HIV-infected African patients with tuberculosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Disseminated cutaneous Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in a patient with AIDS.

Individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at an increased risk of both pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Disseminated cutaneous tuberculosis is rare, but has been reported in four HIV-positive patients, all of whom also had pulmonary infection. In this report we describe an HIV-infected patient with a febrile illness and an abnormal chest radiograph who developed widespread cutaneous tuberculous pustules following a lymph node biopsy on the previous day.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

[Autopsy findings in 70 AIDS patients who died in a department of pneumology in Ivory Coast: impact of tuberculosis].

Based on autopsy findings in 70 patients infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who died in the Pulmonology Department of the Treichville University Hospital Center in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. the authors assess the incidence of tuberculosis as the cause of death and analyze the clinical, bacteriologic, and histologic features of the disease. in this population. Pulmonary tuberculosis was the first cause of death in this series accounting for 31 cases (44.2%). In 12 cases (38.7%), microscopic identification failed during hospitalization and the disease had been misdiagnosed as common bacterial pneumonia. In 29 cases (93.5%) pulmonary tuberculosis was associated with abdominal involvement. In 17 cases (54.8%) involvement of more than two organs was observed. Of the 60 abdominal sites detected during the autopsy of the 31 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, there were 19 (31.3%) in lymph nodes, 18 (30%) in the liver, 14 (23.3%) in the spleen, and 9 (14.9%) in the kidneys. Histologic features were remarkable by the absence of typical tuberculous granulomas. The findings of this study confirm the high incidence of disseminated tuberculosis in patient infected by HIV as noted in a number of previous studies.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1994

HIV-associated lymphoma in Africa: an autopsy study in Cote d'Ivoire.

HIV infection predisposes to the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The frequency of NHL among HIV-positive adults and children in sub-Saharan Africa is not known. In 1991-1992, a representative autopsy study of HIV infection was performed in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Of 247 HIV-positive adult (> 14 years) medical patients dying in hospital, 2.8% had NHL, 1.6% with visceral NHL and 1.2% with primary cerebral lymphoma. The estimated crude incidence of NHL among HIV-positive adults in Abidjan was 84/100,000 per year, 10-fold greater than the expected pre-AIDS incidence of NHL but less than the incidence observed among HIV-positive adults in industrialised countries. None of 78 autopsied HIV-positive children (median age = 17 months) had NHL. HIV infection augments the incidence of NHL among adults in Africa, but short survival with advanced HIV disease probably prevents the major increase in HIV-associated NHL seen in industrialised countries. Survival of HIV-positive children in Africa appears too short to permit the significant development of additional NHL; classic Burkitt lymphoma is not an AIDS-associated tumour in Africa.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

The public health implications of AIDS research in Africa.

The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic has led to greatly increased international collaboration for medical research, mainly epidemiologic in nature, in Africa. Greater understanding of HIV/AIDS has resulted, and considerable training and technology transfer have occurred. However, analytic and descriptive research in countries heavily affected by AIDS has been slow to turn to assessment of interventions, and practical benefits to those countries' public health and policies have lagged behind scientific knowledge. This article considers the public health implications of selected HIV/AIDS research in sub-Saharan Africa and discusses opportunities for interventions and more applied research. Topics covered include HIV testing and its role, surveillance, control of sexually transmitted diseases, the vulnerability of youth and women, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS care, and the inadequacy of resources currently committed to HIV/AIDS prevention and control in resource-poor countries. Research on HIV/AIDS in Africa has yielded crucial information but now should prioritize interventions and their evaluation. Specific goals that might limit the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in resource-poor countries are achievable given vision, commitment, and resources.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1994

Prospective comparison of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 and HIV-2 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

OBJECTIVE: To compare mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2, respectively) and to assess the impact of maternal HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections on child survival. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Maternal and child health center in a lower socioeconomic class district of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 18,099 women delivering between 1990 and 1992 were tested for HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies. A cohort of 613 pregnant women and their infants was followed prospectively (138 women reactive to HIV-1, 132 reactive to HIV-2, 69 reactive to both viruses, and 274 HIV-seronegative). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of perinatal transmission for HIV-1, HIV-2, and both viruses, determined from results of serological and polymerase chain reaction tests on children; survival of infants born to HIV-1-positive, HIV-2-positive, dually reactive, and HIV-seronegative women. RESULTS: Of the 18,099 women tested, 9.4% were reactive to HIV-1 alone, 1.6% to HIV-2 alone, and 1.0% to both viruses. The rate of perinatal transmission of HIV-1 was 24.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.8% to 33.7%), compared with 1.2% (95% CI, 0.0% to 3.5%) for HIV-2 (relative risk, 21.3; 95% CI, 2.9 to 154.3). Overall, 19.0% (95% CI, 9.0% to 29.0%) of infants of dually reactive women became infected; of the 11 children concerned, 10 were infected with HIV-1 and one with HIV-1 and HIV-2. Infants of HIV-seropositive mothers had a reduced survival; mortality rates were 15.1, 13.0, 6.5, and 3.4 deaths per 100 child-years, respectively, for children of HIV-1-positive, dually reactive, HIV-2-positive, and HIV-seronegative women. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of perinatal transmission of HIV-2 (1.2%) was much lower than the rate of perinatal transmission of HIV-1 (24.7%), and this was associated with more favorable survival for infants of HIV-2-infected mothers. Dually reactive women could transmit both viruses, although transmission usually involved HIV-1 only. Public health guidelines should incorporate advice that perinatal transmission of HIV-2 is rare.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1994

Contribution of tuberculosis to slim disease in Africa.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the contribution of tuberculosis to the aetiology of the HIV wasting syndrome (slim) in Africa, a condition usually considered an enteropathy. METHODS: Clinical examination and representative necropsy study of adult patients positive for HIV. SETTING: Hospital medical wards in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. SUBJECTS: Adults positive for HIV. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CD4 T lymphocyte counts before death, clinical and anthropometric data, and gross and microscopic pathology. RESULTS: Necropsy was done on 212 HIV positive adults. Tuberculosis was found in 41 of 93 with the clinical HIV wasting syndrome and in 32 of 119 without (odds ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.2 to 4.0). A significant association existed between the prevalence of tuberculosis at necropsy and the degree of cadaveric wasting (no wasting 25% (15/59); moderate wasting 40% (23/58); skeletal wasting 44% (42/95); P = 0.02). Wasting was also associated with a history of chronic diarrhoea, but no association existed between diarrhoea and tuberculosis. Median CD4 T lymphocyte counts were lowest in wasted patients irrespective of findings at necropsy and in those with chronic diarrhoea (< 60 x 10(6)/l). CONCLUSION: Wasting and chronic diarrhoea are late stage manifestations of HIV disease in Africa. The importance of tuberculosis as a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of the slim syndrome has been underestimated. In nearly half of patients dying with severe wasting, tuberculosis was the dominant pathological finding.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Retrospective study of maternal HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections and child survival in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of maternal HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections on outcome of pregnancy, infant mortality, and child survival, and to measure serological concordance between mothers and children. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study with cross sectional study of concordance for HIV antibodies. SETTING: Hospital, tuberculosis clinic, and maternal and child health centre in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, west Africa. SUBJECTS: 986 women who had had a total of 2758 pregnancies since 1980. The last born children of 194 of these women. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pregnancy outcomes; mortality for all children born since 1980; and outcome for last born children. Serological concordance between mothers and last born children. RESULTS: Women with HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections had higher rates of spontaneous abortion and stillbirth than uninfected women (86/769 in HIV-1 positive women, 48/421 in HIV-2 positive, 31/234 in dually reactive, and 96/1131 in uninfected). Compared with children born to uninfected mothers (mortality 10.3%), greater proportions of children of HIV-1 positive (20.6%) and dually reactive (20.3%) mothers had died; mortality in children of HIV-2 infected women (13.1%) was not significantly increased. Infant mortalities for the last born children of HIV-1 positive, dually reactive, HIV-2 positive, and seronegative women were, respectively, 133, 82, 32, and 40 per 1000 live births. Nine of 77 last born children of HIV-1 positive mothers were concordantly seropositive compared with none of 21 children of HIV-2 infected mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal HIV-2 infection has less influence on child survival than infection with HIV-1, probably because of a lower vertical transmission rate.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Nocardiosis in HIV-positive patients: an autopsy study in West Africa.

BACKGROUND: There are many reports of nocardiosis associated with HIV infection in industrialized and developing countries, but its true prevalence is unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An autopsy study was performed of HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients dying on the general medical wards of a large hospital in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in 1991. RESULTS: 247 HIV-positive adult cadavers were examined. 10 (4%) had nocardiosis of the lung, of whom 6 showed disseminated disease. 8 patients had one or more AIDS-defining pathologies, and 5 had nocardiosis as the main cause of death. Pulmonary tuberculosis was found in 87 cadavers (35%), giving a ratio of pulmonary nocardial to tuberculous disease of 1:9. No nocardiosis was seen in 42 HIV-negative cadavers. CONCLUSIONS: This is the highest recorded prevalence of HIV-associated nocardiosis in a representative sample. The prevalence of nocardiosis varies geographically, and in zones where HIV-associated tuberculosis is common, it is possible that some patients diagnosed as smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis actually have nocardiosis. A revised strategy of sputum examination with gram stain is suggested to detect nocardia.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗