Characteristics and risk factors for death in HIV-positive talaromycosis marneffei patients with sepsis

This case-control study aimed to analyze the characteristics and risk factors for death in HIV-positive Talaromycosis marneffei (TSM) patients with sepsis. We retrospectively reviewed 173 AIDS patients diagnosed with TSM infection from January 1, 2013, to December 1, 2023, at Hangzhou Xixi Hospital. We collected and analyzed clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, bone marrow cytology results, treatment, and prognosis. Out of 173 AIDS-TSM patients, 92 had sepsis while 81 did not. AIDS-TSM patients with sepsis have a higher in-hospital mortality rate (19.6 %) than non-sepsis patients (0 %). The SOFA score showed a significant association with in-hospital mortality in AIDS-TSM patients with sepsis (OR = 1.583, 95 % CI: 1.183–2.118, P = 0.002), indicating an almost linear relationship. After adjusting for the SOFA score, only hemoglobin (Hb) (OR = 0.971, 95 % CI: 0.943–1.000, P = 0.046), international normalized ratio (INR) (OR = 22.33, 95 % CI: 1.84–270.90, P = 0.015), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR = 1.014, 95 % CI: 1.001–1.027, P = 0.039) remained significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve of the SOFA score, INR, and CRP showed moderately good predictive performance for in-hospital mortality, while Hb had a low predictive performance. The Area Under Curve (AUC) values were 0.834, 0.820, 0.776, and 0.669, respectively. AIDS-TSM patients with sepsis have a higher mortality rate. Moreover, the SOFA score, along with Hb, INR, and CRP, are the risk factors for death in AIDS-TSM patients with sepsis.