Abstract
Objective: Great development have been made in the management of patients diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) with antiretroviral therapy (ART), and HIV has transformed from a fatal disease to a chronic disease. The importance of screening some infectious diseases and vaccinating seronegative individuals has increased with the prolongation of life expectancy in individuals living with HIV. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the immunization status of HIV positive patients followed in our outpatient clinic against vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, rubella, mumps, varicella (VZV), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis A (HAV), pneumococcus, meningococcus, influenza.
Materials and Methods: 79 HIV-positive patients followed in our infectious diseases outpatient clinic between 2013-2021 were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: Of 79 patients, 14 (18%) were female and 65 (82%) were male, with a mean age of 41±13.88 (min:20-max:76). The seropositivity rates of the patients were 99% for VZV, 97% for rubella and mumps, 93% for measles, and 80% for HAV. As a result of HBV tests, 43% of the patients were found to be anti-HBs positive, 49% seronegative for HBV, and 8% had chronic hepatitis B infection. It was determined that 71% of the patients were vaccinated annually for influenza, 57% for pneumococcus and 56% for meningococcal vaccines.
Conclusion: The number of HIV/AIDS patients is increasing every year in our country. It is important to determine the immunity status of these patients against vaccine-preventable diseases and to make the necessary vaccinations.