Profile of HIV Positive Patients Admitted in Hanagal Sri Kumareshwar Hospital and Medical Research Centre, S.N.Medical College, Bagalkot, Karnataka

<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>HIV epidemic has posed enormous challenges to public health around the world. In India. HIV is destroying entire homes leaving behind women as widows and children as orphans. Bagalkot district in North Karnataka is the third highest for the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in India. This study was conducted to study the profile and opportunistic infections in HIV positive patients admitted in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Bagalkot, Karnataka.</p> <p><strong>Materials and Methods: </strong>This was a retrospective study of 231 HIV positive patients admitted in Hanagal Sri Kumareshwar Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Bagalkot, Karnataka during the year 2007. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional Review Board, S. N. Medical College, Bagalkot. Data was obtained from the Medical records Department on a pre-designed and pre-tested proforma and analyzed using percentages and chi-square test.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>Majority of the patients (83.12%) were from Bagalkot district. It was observed that 66.67% HIV patients were males. Majority (59.31%) were in the age group of 21 to 40 years (p=&lt;0.05). Majority (72.29%) were from rural areas. On admission, 68.40% presented with cough with expectoration/ breathlessness. Tuberculosis was the most common opportunistic infection (61.04%). Case fatality rate was 11.69%.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Most of the HIV positive patients were youth from rural areas and there is the utmost need to strengthen Behavior change communication activities in primary health care in India.</p>