JHSM
Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine

Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine (JHSM) is an unbiased, peer-reviewed, and open access international medical journal. The Journal publishes interesting clinical and experimental research conducted in all fields of medicine, interesting case reports, and clinical images, invited reviews, editorials, letters, comments, and related knowledge.

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Original Article
Initial clinical and laboratory findings of patients diagnosed with HIV in a hematology outpatient clinic: a retrospective analysis
Abstract
Aims: To assess the clinical and laboratory characteristics at the time of HIV diagnosis in patients first identified in a hematology outpatient clinic. Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 23 patients diagnosed with HIV in the hematology outpatient clinic of a tertiary center between January 2023 and July 2025. Demographic characteristics, presenting symptoms, opportunistic infections, and initial laboratory parameters-including CD4 counts and HIV RNA levels-were recorded. Late presentation was defined a priori as CD4100,000 copies/ml. Mean hemoglobin was 12.36 g/dl (±2.91); mean WBC 6.02×103/µL (±3.55); mean platelet count 183.87×103/µL (±91.28). Overall, 17 patients (73.9%) were late presenters, and 11 (47.8%) had advanced HIV disease. Conclusion: Most patients diagnosed with HIV in hematology clinics present with cytopenias and generalized lymphadenopathy, often at advanced stages. Given the small, single-center retrospective design, these descriptive findings should be interpreted cautiously; nonetheless, raising awareness among hematologists to routinely consider HIV testing in patients with unexplained cytopenias and lymphadenopathy may facilitate earlier diagnosis and improve clinical outcomes.

Keywords : HIV infection, hematology outpatient clinic, cytopenia, lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia

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Article available in :
Volume 9, Issue 1, 2026
Page : 14-18
https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1783841
Article Information
Received : 15 Eyl 2025
Accepted : 04 Kas 2025
Published : 05 Oca 2026
Corresponding Author :

Sema Seçilmiş: University of Health Sciences, Ankara Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Oncology Training and Research Hospital, Department of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, Ankara, Turkey

[email protected]
Citation : Seçilmiş S, Ay Karakuş B, Karakuzi S, et al. Initial clinical and laboratory findings of patients diagnosed with HIV in a hematology outpatient clinic: a retrospective analysis. J Health Sci Med. 2026;9(1):14-18. doi:10.32322/jhsm.1783841

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