[AIDS-free time and survival of an injecting drug users HIV seroconvertors cohort].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze AIDS free time, survival and the pre-AIDS survival for a injecting drug users cohort (IDU) of HIV seroconvertors.


METHODS
Interval for seroconversion was available for 276 IDUs from Centers for AIDS Information and Prevention (CIPS) recruited between 1987 and until June of 1996. AIDS diagnosis and vital status dates were obtained by follow up at hospitals, mortality and AIDS registries, and CIPS visits. The end of follow up was December of 1996. Seroconversion date was estimated as the middle point between last HIV- and first HIV+. Kaplan-Meier extension and Cox regression for truncated data were fitted to estimate AIDS-free and survival times and to observe differences by sex, age consumption time and year of seroconversion. Weibull, and Log-normal parametric models were fitted to estimate median and percentiles of AIDS-free and survival times distribution.


RESULTS
34 cases have been identified as AIDS, 24 as deaths, 9 of them being before AIDS. 63.5% of the individuals were AIDS-free 7 years after seroconversion, and the probability of death was 25.50. Pre-AIDS mortality is around 8.7%. There were not significant differences by sex, age, consumption time and year of seroconversion. Log-normal model fitted better estimating an AIDS-free median time of 10.93 years and 13.67 survival years.


CONCLUSIONS
The incubation period of HIV infection in a cohort of seroconvertors in our environment was around 11 years, not different from that observed out of the Mediterranean area as Holland, Scotland or United States
Pérez-Hoyos
S
S
Institut Valencià d'Estudis en Salut Pública, València, 46017, España. sperez@san.gva.es
Aviñó
M
M
Hernández
I
I
González
J
J
Ruiz
I
I
D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D013405:Suicide; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors