Prevalence of Opportunistic Infections in Treatment-Naive HIV Patients in a Secondary Care Center

Introduction HIV-related immunosuppression significantly increases the risk of contracting opportunistic infections (OI) due to bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. This study estimates the prevalence of opportunistic infections in HIV patients who have not received previous antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the second-largest hospital in Honduras. Methods This retrospective observational study analyzed the medical records of the treatment-naive HIV patients who attended the Mario Catarino Rivas National Hospital in Honduras in all of 2023. The data collected was on demographics and clinically or laboratorially diagnosed opportunistic infections of 110 patients. Results The overall prevalence of OIs among the 110 treatment-naive HIV patients was 31 (28.2%). The most frequent OIs were: cryptococcosis 9/31 (29.0%), candidiasis 8/31 (25.8%), tuberculosis 6/31 (19.4%), toxoplasmosis 4/31 (12.9%), pneumocystis 3/31 (9.7%), and histoplasmosis 2/31 (6.5%). Most patients with at least one OI had a viral load >100,000 copies/mL and a CD4+ cell count <200 cells/mm³. Conclusion There has been an increase in the prevalence of fungal IOs in treatment-naive HIV patients in Honduras. Adequate allocation of resources for the diagnosis and treatment of these in the country's healthcare system is paramount.