A study on malarial infection in HIV-infected individuals

To find out whether malaria occurred at an increased frequency in HIV-infected individuals and to evaluate the clinical course and risk factors for malarial infection in HIV, a prospective study was carried out in a tertiary care centre from June, 1999 to December, 2000 among HIV-infected individuals with HIV-uninfected Individuals taken as control. In this study, out of 250 individuals, 152 were HIV-infected and the remaining were HIV-negative. The odd's ratio (OR) for the occurrence of malaria in the HIV-infected population compared with the HIV-uninfected population was 2.5 (95% confidence interval: 1.01, 6.4; p < 0.02). The prevalence of malaria in HIV infection was 20.4%. The same was 8.3% in asymptomatic stage, and 22.6% and 21.3% in the early and late symptomatic stages of HIV disease respectively. Among those who came for follow-up 44.4% of the HIV-infected individuals had recurrence of malarial infection. Contrary to what was thought before, malaria occurred at an increased frequency in HIV cases. The occurrence of malaria increased in the symptomatic stages of HIV disease compared to the asymptomatic stage. Recurrence was high in the HIV-infected population.