title: Demographic, clinical, and virologic characteristics of African-born persons with HIV/AIDS in a Minnesota hospital.
abstract: Minnesota is currently home to the tenth largest African population and the second largest East African population in the United States. HIV is increasingly being diagnosed in African-born persons in Minnesota. A retrospective survey was conducted on all African-born patients in our HIV clinic between January 1994 and June 2005. We identified 237 patients who were African-born and HIV-positive. They constituted 12% of patients attending the clinic within the study timeframe. There was no significant difference in the ages of the African-born and non-African patients in the HIV clinic. African-born patients were more likely to be women compared with non-African patients (p < 0.001). Forty-three percent of the African-born patients presented with AIDS as defined by CD4(+) T cell counts less than 200 cells per milliliter compared to 33% of antiretroviral naïve non-African HIV patients in the clinic (p < 0.001). Most patients were infected through heterosexual contact and only 4% were diagnosed as a result of routine testing. Seven known HIV subtypes and four unique recombinant forms were identified. The most common opportunistic infection was pulmonary tuberculosis. African immigrants with HIV appear to: (1) access care at later stages of HIV disease than other patients in our clinic; (2) are often infected with non-B subtypes; (3) do not routinely get tested for HIV. Increased awareness to this growing trend is needed for health care providers and public health officials to tailor educational programs and prevention efforts for African immigrants in the United States.
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota/HIV Program Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405, USA. BosolaA@aol.com
authors.forename: Omobosola O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Akinsete
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sides
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hirigoyen
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cartwright
authors.forename: Christy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boraas
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pessoa-Brandão
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Henry
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D000368:Aged; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution