Sexually transmitted infections in women infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA).
OBJECTIVE
Limited prospective data are available on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among HIV-infected patients. The incidence and predictors of STIs were assessed among HIV-infected women enrolled in a clinical trial.


METHODS
Prospective cohort of 323 women.


RESULTS
Sixty-five percent had at least one STI based on history and/or examination at baseline. Most conditions identified at baseline were based on patient history; only 10 of 123 women with no history of an STI (8.1%) had one identified upon examination. During a median follow-up of 2.1 years, 25% developed a new/recurrent STI. Being African-American (odds ratio [OR] = 4.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.45-12.26), reporting sex with an intravenous drug user as an HIV risk behavior (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.34-3.92), and a history/presence of STIs at baseline (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.01-3.19) were factors associated with significantly increased risk of STI's.


CONCLUSIONS
A substantial proportion of women developed new STIs during the course of the clinical trial. Prevention efforts should be emphasized among high risk HIV-infected patients.
Department of Medicine, Harlem Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, USA.
L
L
Capps
G
G
Peng
M
M
Doyle
W
W
El-Sadr
J D
JD
Neaton
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D014481:United States