ArticleGhana medical journal2018
Occurrence of hypocortisolism in HIV patients: Is the picture changing?
Article in Ghana medical journal, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of antiretroviral therapy regimens with serum cortisol abnormalities in people living with HIV/AIDS: a retrospective study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- A narrative review of the pathophysiology of sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa: Exploring the potential for corticosteroid therapy.PLOS global public health · 2025Review
- Pathogenesis of HIV-associated depression: contributing factors and underlying mechanisms.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe occurrence of endocrine diseases in people who are infected with HIV is traditionally thought to occur in the setting of AIDS with opportunistic infections and malignancies. However, recent studies find the correlation between hypocortisolism and stage of HIV (CD4 count and WHO clinical stage) inconsistent.
methodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study included three hundred and fifty (350) consecutive patients with HIV infection. They were interviewed, and subsequently underwent laboratory evaluation for the detection of hypocortisolism. Blood samples for serum cortisol estimation were taken at baseline and at 30 minutes following the administration of 1µg of tetracosactrin (Synacthen). In addition, the patients had blood samples taken at 0 minutes (baseline) for CD4+ lymphocyte cell counts.
resultsAt baseline, 108 (30.9%) participants had serum cortisol levels below 100 µg/L with a median value of 55.48 µg/L (11.36-99.96 µg/L), but only 57 (16.3%) study participants had stimulated serum cortisol levels below 180 µg/L with median of 118 µg/L (19.43-179.62). There was no significant difference in the occurrence of clinical features between participants with low and normal serum cortisol, nor WHO clinical stage, CD4 count and ART regimen. The occurrence of hypocortisolism was higher among participants who had been on ART for a longer period of time.
conclusionThere is a high prevalence of hypocortisolism among HIV patients by biochemical testing, especially those who have been on ARVs for a longer duration. Hypocortisolism cannot be predicted based on the participants' WHO clinical stage of disease, CD4 cell count, or the treatment regimen.
fundingPersonal Funds.
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