title: Identifying people with acute HIV infection: demographic features, risk factors, and use of health care among individuals with AHI in North Carolina.
abstract: Identifying and counseling individuals with Acute HIV Infection (AHI) offers a critical opportunity to avert preventable HIV transmission, however, opportunities to recognize these individuals may be missed. We surveyed 32 adults diagnosed with AHI during voluntary HIV testing from 1/1/03 to 2/28/05 in publicly funded testing sites in NC to describe their clinical, social, and behavioral characteristics. Eighty-one percent of participants were men; 59% were African American. Seventy-five percent experienced symptoms consistent with acute retroviral syndrome; although 83% sought medical care for these symptoms, only 15% were appropriately diagnosed at that initial medical visit, suggesting opportunities to diagnose these individuals earlier were missed. Eighty-five percent of the men engaged in sex with men. More than 50% of the participants thought they were infected with HIV by a steady partner. This study yields important information to assist in identifying populations at risk for or infected with AHI and designing both primary and secondary prevention interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA. lisa_hightow@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: Lisa B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Hightow-Weidman
authors.forename: Carol E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Golin
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Eva N P
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Pia D M
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Leone
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis; D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012938:Social Perception; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult