Abdominal Ultrasound Findings in HIV Infected Patients and its Correlation with CD4+ Counts

Background& Objective Though the major target of the HIV-virus is the immune system, the frequency of abdominal disorders in HIV/AIDS patients has been reported to be second only to pulmonary disease. These abdominal manifestations may be on the increase as the use of antiretroviral therapy has increased life expectancy and improved quality of life. Ultrasonography is an easy to perform, non invasive, inexpensive and safe imagingtechnique that is invaluable in India. The objective of the study was to describe the finding of ultrasound findings in HIV-infected patients and compare of this findings with their CD4+ counts. Patients and methods Total 80 confirmed HIV-positive patients underwent abdominal ultrasonography at SMIMER Hospital Surat during period of six month. A Prospective evaluation of the abdominal ultrasonography of 80 HIV positive patients was carried out at SMIMER Hospital Surat. Each patients sonographic findings were correlated with their CD4+ counts using the World Health Organizations HIV classification index. Results& Conclusion The HIV infected patients had a significantly higher proportion of lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, fatty liver, splenic infiltration, and renal& Gall bladder abnormalities. The use of ultrasound as a baseline imaging modality in HIVinfected patients should be promoted. Its use is invaluable in the assessment of the disease state and in the monitoring of therapy and management of these immunocompromised individuals However, few of the ultrasound findings correlated statistically with the CD4+ counts.