AIDS-related and non-AIDS causes of in-hospital death among people living with HIV: a multicenter retrospective study
Despite advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART), mortality remains an important concern among people living with HIV (PLWH). This study described the causes of in-hospital death and compared AIDS-related and non-AIDS-related deaths among 138 adults PLWH who died during hospitalization at 12 tertiary-care HIV centers in Türkiye between 2014 and 2025. Demographic, clinical, and HIV-related data were collected from medical records. Causes of death were classified as AIDS-related or non-AIDS-related using ICD-10-coded diagnoses and CDC/WHO AIDS-defining conditions. Overall, 138 in-hospital deaths were analyzed. AIDS-related deaths accounted for 56.5%. The leading AIDS-related causes were Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, toxoplasmic encephalitis, and tuberculosis, whereas sepsis and respiratory conditions predominated among non-AIDS-related deaths. AIDS-related deaths were characterized by lower CD4 cell counts and more frequent AIDS-defining illness at diagnosis. Smoking (OR = 7.23, 95% CI 1.07–48.75, p = 0.042) and AIDS-defining illness at diagnosis (OR = 6.18, 95% CI 1.18–32.32, p = 0.031) were independently associated with AIDS-related rather than non-AIDS-related in-hospital death. AIDS-related causes remain prominent among in-hospital deaths despite the ART era. Earlier HIV diagnosis, timely ART initiation, and optimized prevention and management of opportunistic infections and comorbidities are essential to improve outcomes.
Authors
- Damla Ertürk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2163-5844)
- Mustafa Kemal Çelen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5876-2241)
- Sibel Kuyugöz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7518-9643)
- Mehmet Çabalak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1148-2247)
- Handan Alay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4406-014X)
- Ayhan Akbulut (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2560-3265)
- Berfin Çirkin Doruk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5370-4197)
- Gülden Ersöz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2836-3586)
- Selma Güler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2515-8758)
- Şafak Kaya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9912-7340)
- Mehmet Ali Aşan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3681-7923)
- Çiğdem Mermutluoğlu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1836-6281)
- Dilara İnan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7551-6728)
- Yeşim Taşova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5728-058X)
- Tuğçe Şimşek Bozok (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6611-978X)
- Tuba Damar Çakırca (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1706-230X)
- İlkay Karaoğlan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6767-4523)
- Irem Ece Darbaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9775-2034)
Institutions
- Dicle University (TR)
- Akdeniz University (TR)
- Infectious Disease Consultants (US)
- Akdeniz University Hospital (TR)
- Education Training And Research (US)
- Diyarbakır Gazi Yaşargil Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR)
- Mustafa Kemal University (TR)
- Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University (TR)
- Mersin Üniversitesi (TR)
- Cukurova University (TR)
- Gaziantep University (TR)
- Atatürk University (TR)
- Harran University (TR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- AIDS Care
- Published
- 2026-09-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2026.2729941
- Primary Topic
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00