Management of fever in ambulatory HIV-infected adults in resource-limited settings: prospective observational evaluation of a new Mozambican guideline

J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2014 Nov 1;67(3):304-9. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000000304.

Abstract

A new Mozambican guideline for management of fever in HIV-infected adults requires malaria testing and systematic consideration of specific alternative diagnoses (eg, tuberculosis and bacterial infections) in addition to malaria. We conducted a prospective observational study of the guideline's performance. Of 258 HIV-infected subjects with axillary temperature ≥37.5° C or history of fever, 76.0% improved, 13.6% died or were hospitalized, and 10.5% were lost to follow-up. In multivariate analyses, factors associated with adverse outcomes were bacterial blood stream infection, syndromically diagnosed tuberculosis, lower CD4 T-lymphocyte count, no antiretroviral therapy, lower body mass index, lower hemoglobin, and nonprescription of antibiotics.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / drug therapy
  • Adult
  • Ambulatory Care
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Anti-HIV Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active
  • Bacterial Infections / drug therapy
  • Bacterial Infections / etiology
  • CD4 Lymphocyte Count
  • Disease Management
  • Female
  • Fever / drug therapy*
  • Fever / etiology
  • HIV Infections / complications
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic / standards*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Viral Load

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Anti-HIV Agents