14th International AIDS Conference Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. C10739)

Castilla V, pez-Gay D, mez J, Sanz J, Gaspar G, Barros C
Hospital Alcorcon, Alcorcon, Spain

BACKGROUND: to describe HIV epidemics by sex in Madrid from 1984 to 2001.

METHODS: Cohort study of all patients diagnosed as having HIV infection at the 5 hospitals of Madrid South East Metropolitan Area (COMESEM), providing care to a population of 1300000 inhabitants. Year of HIV diagnosis, age, transmission group, clinical CDC group were compared by sex using chi-square test for nominal variables and t test difference for continuous variables. Time to AIDS diagnosis and death were compared using Kaplan Meier and log-rank tests.

RESULTS: At the end of December 2001, 5958 patients were included in the cohort. Of them 1547 (26.1%) were women. This percentage grew from 21% before 1987 to 30% in 2001. By transmission category, there was an excess of heterosexual transmission in women (61.5% in women vs. 38.5% in men; p< 0.001). Mean age in women at diagnosis of HIV infection was 28.1 years, presenting a positive trend during the period (slope= 0.824; p <0,001). Men presented the same distribution, but with a greater mean age (29.4, p< 0.001). Comparing by CDC categories at the moment of diagnosis women was more frequently classified as a group and in a lesser degree as group C (p<. 0021). Women presented a longer survival time after HIV infection diagnosis (median survival time for women longer than 18 years vs. 12.27 years for men; p < 0.0001), even controlling by transmission group and initial clinical CDC group.

CONCLUSIONS: Women represent a growing minority in our local HIV epidemic, mainly due to heterosexual transmission. Women presented a better prognosis than men.

020707
C10739

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