The epidemiology of HIV and AIDS in Romania.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H D Gayle.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
To define the epidemiology of HIV-2 infection, we conducted a case-control study among hospitalized patients at an acute care hospital in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, a country with endemic HIV-2 infection. Among 128 patients with various diagnoses, 23 (18%) were positive for HIV-2 by ELISA and Western blot. One of these patients was serologically reactive for HIV-1 also, but PCR and viral culture revealed the presence of HIV-2 only. To study risk factors, behaviors, and AIDS knowledge related to the acquisition of HIV infection, 22 HIV-2-seropositive and 21 seronegative hospitalized patients were given a physical examination and administered a questionnaire. Among women, transfusion was associated with HIV-2 infection (OR = 14.4, p = 0.02); among men, sex with a prostitute was the principal risk factor (OR = undefined, p = 0.02). Although 79% of HIV-infected patients and controls had heard of AIDS, only 17% of all study participants and 50% of males reporting sex with prostitutes had used condoms in the previous year. These data suggest that the risk factors for HIV-2 infection are similar to those for HIV-1 and support previous studies showing that HIV-2 is the predominant HIV in Guinea-Bissau. Efforts to decrease transmission of HIV-2 should include screening for HIV-2 in blood for transfusion in endemic areas (now done in Bissau) and education about the risk of sexual transmission.
Few studies have evaluated the extent of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the adolescent population. However, there has been growing concern that sexual and drug experimentation common in this age group may increase their risks of transmitting the virus. Between October 1, 1987, and January 31, 1989, a blinded, unlinked HIV seroprevalence study was conducted among all adolescents aged 13 through 19 receiving ambulatory care at Children's National Medical Center and having blood drawn for other routine medical indications. Overall, seroprevalence in this group of patients was 0.37% (3.7/1000), with the highest prevalence in females (4.7/1000) and patients 18 through 19 years of age (5.6/1000). Of adolescents considered at high risk who were offered and accepted voluntary HIV testing during the same time period, 4.1% (41/1000) were positive. Inasmuch as this represents only 38% of all of the positive tests obtained in the blinded testing phase of the study, it may indicate that a substantial proportion of HIV-positive adolescent patients may be missed by using standard criteria and methods of identifying risk and/or that those most at risk may be reluctant to be tested for HIV infection. The results suggest that HIV infection is present in this population of urban adolescents and that the seroprevalence rate is higher than in other nonselect groups. Moreover, using traditional risk factors as screening criteria may not identify the majority of those infected. Trends need to be followed and further studies conducted in an attempt to define which adolescents are at highest risk for HIV infection.
BACKGROUND AND METHODS: To estimate the magnitude of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic among university students, we conducted a blinded HIV-seroprevalence survey at 19 universities throughout the United States. HIV-antibody testing was performed on blood collected for routine medical purposes at the student health centers of the participating institutions. At each campus, from 250 to 1000 blood specimens were collected consecutively and tested for HIV antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis. Nonidentifying demographic data were linked with the test results. RESULTS: Of 16,863 specimens in the sample, 30 (0.2 percent) were positive for antibodies to HIV. Positive specimens were found at 9 of the 19 schools. All were from students over 18 years old; 19 (63 percent) were from students over 24. All but 2 of the 30 infected students were men. The seroprevalence rate for men was 0.5 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 0.3 to 0.7), and for women it was 0.02 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 0.002 to 0.066). Seroprevalence increased with age--from 0.08 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.15) for students 18 to 24 years old to 1.0 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 0.2 to 2.9) for those 40 or older. CONCLUSIONS: HIV infection is present on U.S. university campuses, although the rate appears to be far lower than that of populations known to be at high risk. The potential clearly exists, however, for the further spread of HIV infection in this population, and preventive measures are needed.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adolescents engaging in certain sexual or drug-related behavior are at risk of contracting the human immunodeficiency virus infection in endemic locales. Local and national surveillance data were analyzed to determine the characteristics of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic on adolescents. Of the 605 cases of AIDS in people aged 13 to 21 years reported through 1987, 518 were males (83 from New York City [NYC], NY), and 87 were females (28 from NYC). Over half of all adolescent males with AIDS reported homosexual contact. Transfusion/blood product-related human immunodeficiency virus acquisitions (especially in males with hemophilia) represented 11% of adolescent cases from NYC (1% of NYC adults) and 22% of adolescent cases in the United States (US) outside of NYC (4% of adults in the US). Intravenous drug use was more frequently reported among adolescents with AIDS from NYC (23%) than among adolescents outside NYC (14%). In females, heterosexual transmission accounts for about half of all adolescent AIDS cases and 29% of all adult cases. Age-appropriate services and behavioral interventions are urgently needed for high-risk adolescents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
To examine the contribution of low birth weight (LBW) to prevalence estimates of undernutrition as measured by low length-for-age (L/A), we analyzed data on 374554 children under 24 months old from the Centers for Disease Control Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System. Overall, 9.2% of white, 13.4% of black, and 9.2% of Hispanic children weighed less than 2500 g at birth. The mean prevalence of low L/A during the first two years of life was 10.4%, 12.0%, and 11.7% for whites, blacks, and Hispanics, respectively; the mean proportion of L/A less than the fifth percentile attributable to LBW was 28.9%, 27.6%, and 21.3%. Our results demonstrate the need to consider the LBW prevalence in population estimates of malnutrition since 20% to 40% of the prevalence of low L/A in the first two years of life can be attributable to LBW.
To assess the accuracy of maternally reported birth weights, we compared birth weights reported by mothers in the Tennessee Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Feeding Program (WIC) from 1975 to 1984 with the birth weights recorded on the corresponding Tennessee birth certificate file. Differences in birth weights between these two sources were compared for the total group and were also stratified by sociodemographic and medical variables that might influence the accuracy of birth weight recall. An accurate birth weight was defined as one reported within 1 ounce of the birth certificate birth weight. We also calculated the proportion of birth weights that would be incorrectly classified as low or normal by maternal reporting. A total of 72,245 WIC records were matched with their corresponding birth certificates. Of these, 46,637 had WIC birth weights recorded within the specified birth weight range. Eighty-nine percent of birth weights were reported within 1 ounce of birth certificate birth weights. Lower accuracy of birth weight reporting was associated with the infant's low birth weight, preterm delivery, and low Apgar scores, and with the mother's grand multiparity, less than a high school education, black race, single marital status, and young age. Only 1.1 percent of birth weights would have been incorrectly classified into low or normal birth weight categories based on maternal reporting. Overall, our results suggest that maternally reported birth weights are sufficiently accurate for research and programmatic purposes when birth certificate information is not readily available.