title: Risk factors for delayed HIV diagnosis at the Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
abstract: The objective was to identify factors associated with delayed diagnosis of HIV infection in Vietnam, defined as having a CD4 cell count of <200/mm(3) at the time of the first positive test. Data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of HIV-infected outpatients who received their initial care at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City between July 2004 and August 2005. Among the 204 included patients, 58.3% had a delayed diagnosis. Independent factors associated with a delayed diagnosis were male gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-4.41) and having an opportunistic infection at the time of the first positive HIV test (AOR = 3.07; 95% CI = 1.71-5.53). Counselling for early HIV screening is important in populations at risk of infection. Facilitating access to care should be reinforced for symptomatic patients.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
authors.forename: H-T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Nhac-Vu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giard
authors.forename: N-D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Phong
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vanhems
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014744:Vietnam; D055815:Young Adult