title: Ethnic differences in hiv disease progression: a comparison of Asian/Pacific Islanders and Whites living in Hawaii.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the association of demographic factors with the relative hazards (RH) of developing AIDS or death among HIV-infected individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander (API) ethnicity and Whites.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study
  
  
  METHODS
  Hawaii State Health Department database of HIV-infected individuals
  
  
  METHODS
  Hawaii Sero-Positivity and Medical Management (HSPAMM) program participants from January 1989 to November 2002
  
  
  METHODS
  None
  
  
  METHODS
  Differences in the time to develop AIDS or death among HIV-infected individuals who reported being on highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) were examined by ethnicity, income, and CD4+ cell counts at HAART initiation by using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study was based on 516 HIV-infected individuals, who were primarily White (61.0%) and API (21.7%). Whites had a significantly higher CD4+ cell count (P<.01) and income (P<.01) than APIs at enrollment into HSPAMM. Lower income levels and CD4+ cell counts at HAART initiation were strongly associated with an increased RH of developing AIDS or dying. Despite having significantly lower incomes and CD4+ cell counts at enrollment, individuals of API ethnicity do not have an increased RH of developing the outcomes compared to Whites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower income and CD4+ cell counts at HAART initiation significantly increased the RH of developing AIDS or dying among HIV-infected individuals. Asian/Pacific Islander (API) ethnicity was not a predictor of developing AIDS or dying.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816, USA.
authors.forename: Sheri M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Dominic C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Alan R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Richmond-Crum
authors.forename: F DeWolfe
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006254:Hawaii; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires