Spectrum of opportunistic infections among AIDS patients in Tamil Nadu, India

A retrospective case note review of 100 AIDS patients attending a large Indian centre was performed. Of these 100 patients, 94% gave a history of heterosexual HIV transmission, 68% were male. The majority of females were aged 21 to 30 years. The most common mode of presentation was tuberculosis (61%), both pulmonary (46%) and extrapulmonary (15%). Oral candidiasis extending on to the oesophagus was the second most predominant opportunistic infection. This study also highlights the difficulty in detecting AIDS cases in India owing to difficulties in taking a sexual history and lack of laboratory facilities.