Changing demographics in an HIV-infected population: results from an observational cohort study in Western Denmark.
We present demographic data from an observational database of HIV and AIDS in the Western part of Denmark, a region with a population of 2,935,156 individuals (55.1% of the population of Denmark). Five centers in the region treat HIV-positive adults; all patients attached to these centers since 1995 are included in this study. In total, 749 adult HIV-infected individuals were enrolled as of 31 December, 1999. Estimates of prevalence and incidence of HIV infection in the area were 25.9/100,000 and 2.6/100,000, respectively, which are lower than average for the country. The number of newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients remained constant during the period 1995-99, with an average of 62 diagnoses per year. The number of HIV-related deaths declined from 43 in 1995 to 15 in 1999. Of the enrolled patients, 70.9% were of Danish origin, 75% were Caucasians, 69.7% were male and 47.2% had heterosexual contact as their primary risk behavior. There seems to have been a shift in the HIV epidemic in recent years, with a higher proportion of newly diagnosed HIV patients having contracted the infection through heterosexual contact, a higher proportion being immigrants from less developed countries and newly diagnosed individuals getting older.
Jensen-Fangel
S
S
Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. fangel@dadlnet.dk
Pedersen
C
C
Larsen
C S
CS
Tauris
P
P
Møller
A
A
Obel
N
N
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D019562:Viral Load