RESUMEN
A total of 121 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients diagnosed in Haiti were studied between June 1979 and December 1983. Risk factors were identified in 65% of 34 patients evaluated in a standardized manner since July 1983 and included: bisexuality, 38%; blood transfusion, 21%; and intravenous drug abuse or a spouse with AIDS, 6%. These risk factors were reported by only 20% of the 85 patients studied between June 1979 and June 1983. AIDS patients also reported more frequent parenteral injections prior to the onset of their illness than control subjects (e.g., siblings, friends, sexual partners). Heterosexual activity among female AIDS patients was also greater than in their female controls. It was concluded that, in contrast to the experience reported among Haitians with AIDS in the USA, risk factors are present among most patients with AIDS in Haiti.
Asunto(s)
Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/etiología , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/epidemiología , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/transmisión , Adulto , Femenino , Haití , Humanos , Masculino , Riesgo , Conducta Sexual , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/complicaciones , Reacción a la TransfusiónRESUMEN
Two hundred twenty-nine patients in Haiti with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome were studied between 1979 and 1984. The clinical spectrum of the syndrome in Haitians was similar in most aspects to that in patients with the disease in the United States. However, in contrast to findings in the United States, accepted risk factors (bisexuality, blood transfusions, intravenous drug abuse) were identified in only 43% of Haitian patients. Patients in Haiti with and without these risk factors were similar to each other but differed from age- and sex-matched siblings and friends in the number of heterosexual contacts and receipt of intramuscular injections. These latter activities were commoner in patients than in their siblings and friends, and represent potential modes of transmission of infection with the human T-lymphotropic virus type III.
Asunto(s)
Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/epidemiología , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/inmunología , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/transmisión , Adulto , Familia , Femenino , Haití , Humanos , Infecciones/etiología , Inyecciones , Masculino , Riesgo , Sarcoma de Kaposi/etiología , Conducta Sexual , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
To identify the characteristics of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) as it occurs in Haiti, we studied 61 previously healthy Haitians who had diagnoses of either Kaposi's sarcoma (15), opportunistic infections (45), or both (1) established in Haiti between June 1979 and October 1982. The first cases of Kaposi's sarcoma and opportunistic infections in Haiti were recognized in 1978-1979, a period that coincides with the earliest reports of AIDS in the United States. We do not believe that AIDS existed in Haiti before this period. The types of opportunistic infections and the clinical course in Haitians with Kaposi's sarcoma and opportunistic infections were similar in most aspects to those in patients with AIDS in the United States. The median age of Haitians with Kaposi's sarcoma and opportunistic infections was 32 years, and 85 per cent were men. The interval between diagnosis and death was six months in 80 per cent of the patients. Diarrhea was the most common reason for seeking medical attention in patients with opportunistic infections. Lymphopenia and skin-test anergy were observed in 86 and 100 per cent of patients, respectively. Potential risk factors (bisexual activity or blood transfusions) were identified in 17 per cent of male and 22 per cent of female patients. Demographic information suggests that patients belonged to all socioeconomic strata of Haitian society.