HIV seroprevalence in ophthalmic surgery patients at ESUT Teaching Hospital Enugu

Many patients at high risk of contracting HIV infection may not seek voluntary counseling and testing but may have an unrelated ocular problem. The study aims to highlight the need to offer HIV voluntary counseling and testing services to ophthalmic surgery patients so that seropositive patients can be identified early and managed appropriately. The medical records of patients who underwent major eye surgery at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Teaching Hospital Parklane Enugu from October 2005 to September 2006 were reviewed. The patients were routinely screened for the presence of HIV infection after pretest counseling. Information was sought on patients' bio-data, type of surgery and HIV status using a protocol designed for the study. A total of 133 patients had major eye surgeries during the study period; 67(50.4%) were males while 66 (49.6%) were females. The age range was 4 months to 82 years. Cataract extraction (54.9%), removal of eye (21.8%) and repair of penetrating injuries (15.1%) were the commonest operations. Four patients were HIV seropositive giving a prevalence of 3.0%. Patients have been identified to be HIV positive with apparently unrelated eye diseases. Routine HIV voluntary counseling and testing services is advocated for all ophthalmic surgery patients so that seropositive patients can be identified and early appropriate management commenced.