title: Genital ulcers in a primary health clinic in Rwanda: impact of HIV infection on diagnosis and ulcer healing (1986-1992).
abstract: During 1986-88 and 1990-92, 1025 (97%) out of 1057 genital ulcer patients in Kigali, Rwanda, were tested for HIV antibodies and for infection with Treponema pallidum, Haemophilus ducreyi and herpes simplex virus. Overall, 57% of men and 80% of women had antibodies to HIV-1. The most frequent laboratory diagnoses were chancroid (27%), syphilis (19%) and genital herpes (19%) among men and syphilis (35%), genital herpes (23%) and chancroid (20%) among women. HIV-1 seroprevalence increased sharply over time among men but not among women. The clinical presentation of ulcers as well as laboratory diagnoses were similar in the HIV-1 seropositive and seronegative groups. The relative frequency of all laboratory diagnoses remained unchanged over time. HIV-1 seropositivity had no impact on ulcer healing. Advanced immunodeficiency was diagnosed among 12% of the HIV-1 seropositive patients and was significantly associated with increasing age and genital herpes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Centre Hospitalier de Kigali, Belgo-Rwandan Medical Cooperation, Rwanda.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bogaerts
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kestens
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Dyck
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Tello
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akingeneye
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mukantabana
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002601:Chancre / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002602:Chancroid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015497:HIV-1; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012432:Rwanda / Q000453:epidemiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric