AEGiS-14IAC: High seroconversion rate among cocaine abusers of Porto Alegre, Brazil.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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High seroconversion rate among cocaine abusers of Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. C10698)

Pechansky F, Diemen LV, Kessler F, Hirakata VN, Metzger DE, Woody GE
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Background and objectives: as an effort to track down the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the south of Brazil, 138 inner-city cocaine users or abusers of Porto Alegre were followed by 18 months to evaluate the incidence rate of HIV infection. Data were also colleted to obtain sociodemographic data for future research and preventive efforts towards this specific population.

METHOD: subjects donated blood for HIV testing and provided data on drug use and sexual risky behaviors, as well as presence and severity of medical and psychiatric symptoms. Data were collected at intake using a standard risk assessment battery (RAB) plus the ASI, SCL-90 and Beck Depression Inventory, and repeated at subsequent intervals of 6, 12, and 18-months.

RESULTS: we observed a total of 8 seroconversions in the 18-month period, providing an incidence rate of 5.03/100 person-years at risk. Although seroconverters showed high BDI and SCL-90 scores, these were not significantly different from the rest of the sample. As for drug use, only 14.5% injected cocaine - and none of them were seroconverters). Condom use was rare in the sample. Although follow-up procedures were difficult due to local geographic and logistic problems, data were obtained from 82% of the sample for at least one follow-up, and 57% for all follow-up intervals.

CONCLUSIONS: since the proportion of cocaine injectors in this sample was low, and the rate of seroconversion was very high, we hypothesize that the primary mode of transmission among these subjects was sexual rather than injection-related. The role of psychiatric symptomatology in the aetiology of seroconversion could not be ascertained because of the similarity of findings between converters and non-converters.

Keywords: AEGIS, Cocaine-Related Disorders, Incidence, HIV Infections, Sex Behavior, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Seroprevalence, HIV, HIV Seropositivity, Disease Outbreaks, HIV Antibodies, Risk Assessment, Brazil, immunologyKWDaegis,cocaine-relateddisorders,incidence,hivinfections,sexbehavior,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,hivseroprevalence,hiv,hivseropositivity,diseaseoutbreaks,hivantibodies,riskassessment,brazil,immunology

020707
C10698

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.