ASSESSMENT OF COMMON CHEST X-RAY FINDINGS IN IMMUNO-COMPROMISED PATIENTS IN LAGOS METROPOLIS, NIGER

Background: Retroviral diseases such as the Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is characterized with immune suppression leading to opportunistic infections (OI). This immune deficiency predominantly involves the lungs, gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. Purpose: To assess the prevalence of a variety of infections associated with immune compromised patients (ICPx) using chest radiographs. Methods: A retrospective study of 543 (44.75 % male and 55.25 % females) postero-anterior (PA) and the antero-posterior (AP) chest radiographs of HIV/AIDS patients for a period of 5 years (2008-2013), selected at random from the X-ray departments of 5 hospitals within Lagos Metropolis. Results: The result showed that about 395 (72.44 %) radiographs presented with various infectious patterns while 148 (27.56 %) radiographs demonstrated normal radiographic patterns. Subjects with pulmonary tuberculosis (30.94 %) were presented with the most predominant opportunistic infections (OI), followed by pneumonia (17.12 %), pleural effusion (12.89 %), kaposi’s sarcoma (8.66 %). Other conditions such as cardiomegaly, atelectasis and lung consolidations constituted 3.13 %. Conclusion: Most HIV/AIDS patients in Lagos metropolis presented with episodes of PTB as evidenced on the chest radiograph. Also, as important as the chest radiograph is in detecting lesions, some patients presented with normal chest x-ray findings despite a high suspicion of pulmonary disease.