Women and HIV infection: a cohort study of 483 HIV-infected women in Bordeaux, France, 1985-1991. The Groupe d'Epidémiologie Clinique du SIDA en Aquitaine.
OBJECTIVE
To study the epidemiological trends, clinical patterns, evolution and prognosis of HIV infection in women.


METHODS
Cohort study of 1816 HIV-infected patients.


RESULTS
Up to 1 January 1991, 483 (26.6%) of the patients reported to the Groupe d'Epidemiologie Clinique du SIDA en Aquitaine surveillance system were women. The male-to-female ratio has decreased progressively (3.4:1 in 1985; 2.7:1 in 1990) over time. Fifty per cent of HIV-infected women are or have been intravenous drug users (IVDU). The proportion of heterosexually acquired HIV infection increased from 11.6 to 34.6% over the last 5 years; 46.9% of the women infected through heterosexual intercourse reported sexual contacts with male IVDU. Excluding Kaposi's sarcoma, no significant difference was observed between men and women in the overall distribution of AIDS-defining events. The observed trend of a slower progression to AIDS in women, compared with men, disappeared when controlling for prognostic variables. However, female sex significantly enhanced survival after AIDS diagnosis in multivariate analysis (relative risk, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-6.2).


CONCLUSIONS
Early diagnosis of HIV infection in female patients and prevention of HIV infection among women is now a priority for public health interventions, both in industrialized and in developing countries.
Morlat
P
P
Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire (CHRU) of Bordeaux, France.
Parneix
P
P
Douard
D
D
Lacoste
D
D
Dupon
M
M
Chêne
G
G
Pellegrin
J L
JL
Ragnaud
J M
JM
Dabis
F
F
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors; D015229:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications; D013997:Time Factors