Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients diagnosed with HIV without prior antiretroviral treatment.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most prevalent respiratory problem in the world. Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have a higher prevalence of smoking and recurrent lung infections and are at higher risk of COPD.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of COPD in HIV-diagnosed patients referred to an infectious diseases hospital.