[Changing trends in HIV epidemics: recent diagnoses in the Spanish VACH cohort (2000-2002)].
BACKGROUND
Studying the changing trends of HIV epidemics is a useful means of evaluating the results of current preventive plans as well as of defining future needs and objectives.


METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional study of the newly-diagnosed cases of HIV infection included in the Spanish VACH cohort. New HIV cases were defined as those diagnosed between January 2001 and December 2002. Their epidemiologic characteristics were compared with those of patients included in the same cohort who had been diagnosed between January 1998 and December 2000.


RESULTS
We studied 603 new cases (27% women). In 146 (24.4%) HIV infection had been acquired by sharing material for intravenous drug use (IVDU), 171 (28,6%) were men who had had sex with other men (MSM) and 247 (41.3%) acknowledged some risk for heterosexual HIV transmission. The median age was 36 years (range: 18-80). Only 1.5% of the patients were younger than 20 years while 32.1% were older than 40 years. This percentage was significantly higher than that corresponding to 1998-2000 (27.5%; p < 0,05). HIV infection was diagnosed simultaneously with an AIDS-defining condition in 13.3% of patients and an AIDS-defining disease was diagnosed in the first month after HIV-diagnosis in another 40 patients (6.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
We confirm the trends observed in previous studies: a growing proportion of newly diagnosed cases among women, a decreasing proportion of IVDU, a growth of MSM, and a trend toward diagnosis at a later age.
Teira
Ramón
R
Servicio de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital de Basurto, Bilbao, Spain. rteira@hbas.osakidetza.net
Suárez-Lozano
Ignacio
I
Muñoz
Pepa
P
Viciana
Pompeyo
P
Lozano
Fernando
F
Galindo
María J
MJ
Terrón
Alberto
A
Vergara
Antonio
A
Geijo
Paloma
P
Arribas
José R
JR
Cosín
Jaime
J
Domingo
Pere
P
Ribera
Esteban
E
Roca
Bernardino
B
García-Alcalde
M Luisa
ML
Sánchez
Trinitario
T
Muñoz-Sanz
Agustín
A
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016485:Needle Sharing / Q000009:adverse effects; D011329:Prisoners; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications