title: Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS in Zagreb: a district level analysis.
abstract: This study examines the presence of hepatitis B as a possible precursor marker for HIV/AIDS in 10 districts of Zagreb, Croatia. There were a total of 931 cases of hepatitis B in Zagreb in the period 1979-1995, the annual rate ranging from 3.1 to 15.4 per 10,000. The highest relative risk for hepatitis B for the 1979-1995 period was in the Pescenica district (Relative risk (RR): 1.4). There were 108 cases of HIV/AIDS diagnosed in Croatia in the period 1986-1996, with 34% from Zagreb. The highest relative risk for HIV/AIDS was within the Pescenica district (RR: 2.3). Pescenica had also a significantly higher incidence of hepatitis B when compared to other districts (p = 0.005). The cumulative incidence of hepatitis B in Zagreb was directly related to levels of neighborhood discomfort as determined by an index including unemployment, inflation and housing conditions (p = 0.005). This research demonstrates that the poor areas of the city with higher incidence of hepatitis B hold the greatest threat for the spread of HIV/AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion and Kinesiology University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC, USA. gfpyle@email.uncc.edu
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Pyle
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oreskovic
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Begovac
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017677:Age Distribution; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003710:Demography; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors