Endoscopic Findings in HIV Positive Patients with Dysphagia Presenting at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar

Background: The Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has a profound impact worldwide, with approximately 75.7 million individuals suffering and around 32.7 million individuals dead attributed to AIDS-related causes. HIV/AIDS impacts the gastrointestinal system with various symptoms influenced by infections, and the introduction of modern Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) has significantly changed the prevalence of these GI disorders. Objective: This study aimed to determine the frequency of endoscopic findings in HIV patients with dysphagia. Study type, settings & duration: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of General Medicine, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Medical Teaching Institute (MTI), Peshawar from July to December 2020. Methodology: The study included 136 HIV-infected patients with dysphagia who underwent upper GI endoscopy. All patients underwent upper GI endoscopy following informed consent. The baseline Information, including demographic data, including age, gender, and duration of HIV infection, was collected for each patient. Data analysis was performed using (SPSS) version 23. Results: According to the findings, gastric erythema (18.4%), Candida esophagitis (30.1%), peptic ulcer (9.6%), hiatal hernia (21.3%), erosions (5.1%), and Candida antral gastritis (16.9%) were the most frequent endoscopic findings. The mean age of the patients was 43.316±6.92 years, the mean duration of HIV infection was 12.632±5.26 months, and the mean weight was 80.345±6.56 Kg. Conclusion: According to the study's findings, most HIV patients who experienced gastrointestinal symptoms also had opportunistic infections and altered upper GI mucosa. Early endoscopic and histological evaluation is recommended for these individuals in order to support fast detection and treatment of upper GI issues, ...........