Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40469094›Full record

ArticleSouthern African journal of HIV medicine2025

Causes of death in adults living with HIV in South Africa: A single-centre postmortem study.

Tanvier Omar, Nadia Sabet, Alistair Calver, Gajendra Chita, Lucas E Hermans, Willem D F Venter, Adriaan Basson, Monique Nijhuis, Annemarie Wensing, Neil Martinson and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Southern African journal of HIV medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Tanvier OmarDepartment of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7636-7616
Nadia SabetPerinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9402-0974
Alistair CalverDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and Klerksdorp-Tshepong Hospital Complex, Klerksdorp, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5809-5717
Gajendra ChitaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and Klerksdorp-Tshepong Hospital Complex, Klerksdorp, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7295-9490
Lucas E HermansDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8741-5852
Willem D F VenterWits Ezintsha, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4157-732X
Adriaan BassonHIV Pathogenesis Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7541-8132
Monique NijhuisDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Translational Virology Research Group, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6610-8282
Annemarie WensingDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Translational Virology Research Group, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3790-8891
Neil MartinsonPerinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0184-5705
Maria PapathanasopoulosHIV Pathogenesis Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9504-0950
Ebrahim VariavaPerinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2888-789X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Mortality among people living with HIV (PLWH) in developing settings remains elevated, despite high coverage with antiretroviral therapy (ART), with 70% - 80% being virally suppressed (VS). Objectives: This study aimed to determine cause-specific mortality in PLWH in South Africa. Method: An autopsy study with detailed medical record review was undertaken in PLWH dying in hospital. Minimally invasive autopsies were performed on 38 VS and 21 unsuppressed PLWH (≥ 18 years) dying in hospital between May 2018 and April 2022. We assessed clinical and histological findings to determine underlying, contributing, and immediate causes of death (CODs). Results: Median CD4 counts were 180 and 42 cells/mm Conclusion: VS on ART appeared to reduce risk of death from specific pathologies. However, infections, multi-organ failure, non-AIDS-defining malignancies, and metabolic diseases remain important CODs. Incomplete immune reconstitution appears to be a key contributor to premature death.

Indexed as

causes of deathHIVimmune reconstitutionsuppressedunsuppressed

Identifiers

PMID40469094
PMCPMC12135716

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.