A Lesson from HIV-infected Patients at A. Wahab Sjahranie General Hospital Samarinda, Indonesia after 15 years of VCT service

Background: The number of HIV-infected patients and deaths related to HIV are increasing rapidly in Indonesia, including in Samarinda. Until December 2018 it was reported approximately 640,000 HIV-infected patients in Indonesia, a six-fold increase in 5 years (103,000 patients in 2013). Studies about the profiles of HIV-infected patients can be useful to create better approaches for prevention and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the profiles of HIV-infected patients at A. Wahab Sjahranie General Hospital Samarinda. Methods and materials: This study was conducted at A. Wahab Sjahranie General Hospital Samarinda, Indonesia from December 2005 to June 2019. Subjects were HIV-infected patients who came to VCT Clinic. Results: The number of new HIV patients came to VCT Clinic had been increasing constantly from 2005 to 2019. In 2018 there were 390 new patients, while in 2008 there were 45 new patients. Total new patients from December 2005 to June 2019 were 2,487 and 1,780 of them (71.5%) had got ARV treatment. From January to June 2019 there were 100 new patients aged ≥12 years, consisting of 73 males (73%) and 27 females (27%), the majority were 25–45 years old (69%). There were 20 patients (20%) who had opportunistic infections, the most common was tuberculosis (55%) and oral candidiasis (25%). CD4 levels when starting ARV: <50: 38 (38%), 50–199: 27 (27%), 200–349: 19 (19%), 350–499: 12 (12%), ≥500: 4 (4%). After 15 years of VCT service at our hospital, there were still many patients who started ARV at the late-stage of this disease, 65% with CD4 <200 with more than half of them with CD4 <50. Conclusion: The number of new HIV patients who come to VCT Clinic at A. Wahab Sjahranie General Hospital Samarinda are increasing rapidly from 2005 to 2019. More than 60% of patients are in the productive age of 25–45 years. Most of the patients start taking ARV at a late phase of infection (65% with CD4 <200) which is correlated with poor prognosis.