5th International AIDS Conference


Montreal, Quebec, Canada — Jun 4-9, 1989

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AIDS on Long Island.

Int Conf AIDS 1989 Jun 4-9; 5:175 (abstract no. A.590)
Agins BD, Montgomery N, Forlenza S; Nassau County Medical Center, East Meadow, New York

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of the AIDS epidemic on suburban Long Island.

METHODS: A retrospective review of epidemiologic and demographic data from the records of AIDS patients seen at Nassau County Medical Center (NCMC) during 1987 and 1988 was performed.

RESULTS: Nassau County is the suburban area with the largest number of AIDS patients in the United States. NCMC is a NY State-designated AIDS Center operated by the county government. The AIDS Program includes a 25-bed inpatient unit and an outpatient clinic with greater than 1500 visits annually. During 1987 and 1988, 229 CDC-confirmed AIDS patients were seen. Of these, 172 were men (75%) and 57 were women (25%). 57% were intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs), 28% were homosexual or bisexual males (HS/BS), 3.5% were from an endemic area, 3% were heterosexual contacts of HIV-infected persons (HET), and 4% had no identifiable risk. The others were children or acquired HIV through exposure to blood products. Among IVDAs (n=113), 55% are black and 45% are white. In 1988 specifically, 51% were white and 49% were black.

CONCLUSION: Risk factors for AIDS on suburban Long Island parallel those of New York City. At NCMC, blacks account for nearly half of all AIDS patients seen during the past two years, although they comprise only 7% of the total population in Nassau County. Women now account for 25% of cases. In contrast to New York City, the number of white IVDAs on Long Island is significantly larger, and equal to the number of black IVDAs in the region. These trends may reflect the patterns of AIDS demographics in suburban communities, especially those in close proximity to New York City and should be useful in planning for the care of the increasing numbers of HIV-infected patients expected in the future.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, Homosexuality, Bisexuality, Risk Factors, Disease Outbreaks, Retrospective Studies, New York City, United States, Human, Female, Male, Child, ICA5KWDaegis,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,hivinfections,homosexuality,bisexuality,riskfactors,diseaseoutbreaks,retrospectivestudies,newyorkcity,unitedstates,human,female,male,child,ica5

890604
A590

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