title: Presentation and reasons for HIV-1 testing in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: Clinical presentation, CD4+ T lymphocyte count at diagnosis, and reasons for HIV-1 testing reflect the attitudes towards HIV testing and also the ability of the health-care system to diagnose HIV early. In a cross-sectional study from the HIV database in a large HIV-referral centre in Saudi Arabia, all 410 HIV-infected patients were included, 276 men and 134 women. Women were younger at diagnosis (mean age 25.5 compared with 29 years for men, P < 0.04) and had higher CD4+ T lymphocytes (mean 461 for women and 223 for men, P < 0.001). Out of 276 men, 90 (33%) were identified as HIV infected when they presented with AIDS. Fifty-five percent of the infected women were tested for HIV-1 because of contact with an infected person compared with 8% of the infected men, odds ratio (OR) 13.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.7-24.9). AIDS remains the main presentation for HIV-infected men. Women are diagnosed earlier and younger than men.
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. rajhi@kfshrc.edu.sa
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alrajhi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Halim
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Al-Abdely
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology