Causes and outcomes of hospitalizations among people living with HIV in Georgia's referral institution, 2012-2017

We assessed trends in causes and outcomes of hospitalization among people living with HIV (PLWH) admitted to the Infectious Diseases, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Research Center (IDACIRC) in Tbilisi, Georgia. Retrospective analysis included adult PLWH admitted to IDACIRC for at least 24 h. Internationally validated categorization was used to split AIDS admissions into mild, moderate, and severe AIDS. A total of 2085 hospitalizations among 1123 PLWH were registered over 2012-2017 with 65.1% (731/1123) of patients presenting with CD4 count <200. Of 2085 hospitalizations, 931 (44.7%) were due to AIDS-defining illnesses. In 2012, AIDS conditions accounted for 50.3% of admissions compared to 41.6% in 2017 (p = 0.16). Overall, 167 hospitalizations (8.0%) resulted in lethal outcome. AIDS admissions had higher mortality than non-AIDS admissions (11.5% vs 5.2%, p < 0.0001). Among 167 deceased patients, 137 (82.0%) had CD4 count <200 at admission. In multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with mortality included severe AIDS versus non-AIDS admission (OR 2.81, 95% CI: 1.10-7.15), CD4 cell counts <50 (OR 4.34, 95% CI: 2.52-7.47), and 50-100 (OR 2.37, 95% CI: 1.27-4.42) versus >200. Active AIDS disease remains a significant cause of hospitalization and fatal outcome in Georgia. Earlier diagnosis of HIV is critical for decreasing AIDS hospitalizations and mortality.