5th International AIDS Conference Montreal, Quebec, Canada — Jun 4-9, 1989

Int Conf AIDS 1989 Jun 4-9; 5:168 (abstract no. A.546)

Berry A, Fortner C, Settle J, Kaplowitz L; Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA, USA

OBJECTIVE: To describe the natural history of HIV infection in females seen at MCV.

METHODS: This study retrospectively compares the clinical course of 66 HIV infected women with 412 HIV infected men followed at MCV from 4/86 to 1/89.

RESULTS: Females comprised 14% of the HIV infected population seen at MCV; 50 (77%) were black, 14 (22%) were white, and 1% was Hispanic. Their major risk factor for acquiring HIV was IV drug use 31 (47%), sexual contact 26 (40%), blood products 8 (12%) and 1% health care exposure. During this time 35% of the women had AIDS compared to 52% of the males. Although a similar proportion of men and women were taking zidovudine the mortality rate for females was only 14% compared to 30% of the male HIV infected population (p less than 0.05). Ten percent of men and women took zidovudine and T-cell counts were higher in women (p<0.05). Of patients still alive survival time (date of HIV diagnosis to present) was longer in men than women (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: The natural course of HIV infection in women is less well known than in HIV infected men. The lower mortality rate for women in this study may reflect later infection. Further investigation is required concerning the natural history of HIV infection in women.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Infections, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Zidovudine, Anti-HIV Agents, Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors, Hispanic Americans, Blacks, Whites, Virginia, Human, Female, Male, ICA5

1989-06-04
A546

Copyright © 1989 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.