Initial clinical and laboratory findings of patients diagnosed with HIV in a hematology outpatient clinic: a retrospective analysis

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.