Human immunodeficiency virus infection with multiple opportunistic infections: lessons learned from noncompliant patients
We report a case of progressive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with multiple opportunistic infections (Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, cryptosporidiosis, esophageal candidiasis, and cytomegalovirus infection). The patient was presumed to be compliant with antiretroviral therapy (ART) and was started on treatment for each of the opportunistic infections, but continued to worsen. Upon further review, he was found to be inadequately adherent to ART, and his condition improved after recommendations for enhanced adherence counseling. We report this case to emphasize the importance of ART drug adherence in the management of HIV patients.
Manish Soneja, Anivita Aggarwal, Parul Kodan, Nitin Gupta, Human immunodeficiency virus infection with multiple opportunistic infections: lessons learnt from a non-adherent patient, Oxford Medical Case Reports, Volume 2021, Issue 3, March 2021, omaa147, https://doi.org/10.1093/omcr/omaa147
Commentary
This case is a report of a patient with progressive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The patient's situation is one of high susceptibility to opportunistic infections, which has been associated with high morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) appears to be a common treatment strategy for HIV patients such as those with this condition.
However, the importance of adherence to treatment initiation in monitoring and managing compliance is often ignored, which raises the question: why is adherence to ART so important? However, the importance of adherence in monitoring and managing compliance at the start of treatment is often ignored, and this seems to be the case for understanding why ART adherence is important.
