Managing anemia in HIV-positive women.
Anemia is a clinically significant complication of infection with HIV, especially in patients who develop clinical AIDS. Several large studies have demonstrated that HIV-infected women, particularly African-American women, are disproportionately affected by anemia. These studies also reveal an association between anemia and statistically significant decreases in survival. In this review, the impact of anemia, the demographic characteristics of affected patients and the known risk factors for development of anemia in HIV-infected women are discussed. In addition, the diverse etiologies of anemia in the setting of HIV infection are reviewed, as are current treatment recommendations.
Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA. caseyo@gwu.edu.
Casey
C
O'Connell
Alexandra M
AM
Levine