[Women who are partners of a man infected by HIV: description of their characteristics and appraisal of risk].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the situations of risk and the prevalence of HIV in women with a heterosexual partner infected by HIV.


METHODS
Cross-sectional descriptive study.


METHODS
Out-patient HIV diagnosis centre in Madrid.


METHODS
229 women seen for the first time between 1993 and 2002 because they had a stable heterosexual partner diagnosed with HIV, and who were exposed to no other risk.


METHODS
Social and personal details, reproduction history, sexual conduct, clinical, and analytic data of both partners.


RESULTS
66% of couples had maintained sexual relations for over a year. Women were on average younger (29.6 years old) than the men. 29% of the women had children and 5.2% were pregnant. 82% of men had injected drugs, but only 13% still did. 73% had been diagnosed with HIV for over 6 months, 16% had AIDS criteria, and 35% were taking retroviral treatment. 60% of the men who knew of their infection had systematically avoided sex without condoms, against 33% of those who did not know they were infected (P<.001). 19% had had accidents in use of the condom. HIV seroprevalence in the women was 6.1% (95% CI, 3.5%-10.3%).


CONCLUSIONS
Health care of people with HIV must include care of their sexual partner, involving information, psychological support, preventive and reproductive advice, as well as diagnosis of HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.
del Romero
J
J
Centro Sanitario Sandoval, Instituto Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain. jdr@jet.es
Castilla
J
J
Marincovich
B
B
Hernando
V
V
García
S
S
Rodríguez
C
C
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology