Benefits of Screening for Serum Cryptococcal Antigen in Patients with HIV-1 Infection

In a Ugandan study, survival was higher in those who were screened for cryptococcal antigen than in those who presented with cryptococcal meningitis.

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a leading cause of death among persons with AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Although detection of serum cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) in those with advanced HIV-1 infection predicts subsequent CM, initiation of fluconazole therapy as recommended by WHO has not been widely implemented. Do outpatients with CM detected during CrAg screening have better survival than those presenting to the hospital with CM?

Levin and colleagues evaluated mortality in 489 HIV-infected persons with CM who had been prospectively enrolled in Uganda between 2018 and 2021 (after implementation of a serum CrAg screening program). Among this group, 194 (40%) had undergone outpatient CrAg screening and 295 (60%) had not. Median time from screen…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Benefits of Screening for Serum Cryptococcal Antigen in Patients with HIV-1 Infection

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Reviewing Author