Pneumonia as a cause of death in HIV-infected patients admitted to the intensive care unit

Abstract

While recurrent bacterial pneumonia is a recognized indicator of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), cases exist where a single episode of pneumonia in HIV-positive individuals can progress rapidly and prove fatal. This article details the case of a patient hospitalized in the intensive care unit for HIV infection and bilateral pneumonia of unknown origin. The report outlines the progression of the illness, analyzes relevant laboratory and diagnostic imaging results, describes the implemented treatment plan, and identifies contributing factors that led to a fatal outcome. Current Russian clinical guidelines define AIDS in individuals with HIV infection who present with at least one AIDS-defining illness. These illnesses encompass a range of opportunistic infections and malignancies, including esophageal candidiasis, chronic cryptosporidiosis with diarrhea of more than one month duration , extrahepatic cytomegalovirus infection in individuals older than one month; Pneumocystis pneumonia, Kaposi's sarcoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, along with other types of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; additionally, both brain toxoplasmosis and pulmonary tuberculosis in individuals aged older than one month and 13 or older respectively, are classified as AIDS-defining conditions.While bacterial pneumonia is classified as an AIDS-defining illness only when it reoccurs within a 12-month period, there are instances where HIV-positive patients develop severe, life-threatening pneumonia without prior documented episodes.