Hepatobiliary diseases in people with HIV infection at the Lome, Togo, University Hospital: epidemiologic and diagnostic aspects.

PURPOSE: To determine the epidemiological and diagnostic aspects of hepatobiliary diseases in people with HIV infection at the Lomé University Hospital.

METHODS AND PATIENTS: This 5-year retrospective descriptive and analytic study included all people with HIV infection aged 15 years and older of either sex admitted with a hepatobiliary disease.

RESULTS

Among all patients admitted for hepatobiliary diseases, people with HIV infection accounted for 2%. They were predominantly women. Our patients' mean age was 43.03±10.3 years. The principal reasons for consultation were asthenia (95.2%), jaundice (93.7%), and abdominal pain (80.9%). The main clinical symptoms were by deterioration of general status (84.1%) and pain of the right hypochondrium (66.7%); 63.5%were classified at WHO disease stage III or IV for HIV infection and disease. All our patients were positive for HIV1; and 86.5% had a CD4 count < 350 cells/mm3. We noted HVB/HIV coinfection in 39.6% and HVC/HIV coinfection in 19%. Cirrhosis had been diagnosed in 44.4%, hepatocellular carcinoma in 12.6%, and toxic or drug-induced hepatitis in 46%, while 8% had acute acalculous cholecystitis. No case of alcoholic steatohepatitis or AIDS cholangiopathy was noted.

CONCLUSION

Hepatobiliary diseases are infrequent and varied among people with HIV infection; the most common are toxic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, and they do not differ according to CD4 counts.