Tuesday, March 9, 2010: 11:00 AM
International Ballroom A/B/C/D (M2) (Omni Hotel)
John Christian Hague, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, Ravikiran Muvva, MPH, MPA, MBBS, Bureau of HIV/STD Prevention, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore, MD and Rafiq Miazad, MD, MPH, STD Prevention Program, Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore, MD
Background: Previous studies indicated high rates of STD coinfection among HIV-positive individuals.
Objectives: To identify the rate of STD coinfection in newly diagnosed HIV positive individuals in Baltimore City.
Methods: The study is a retrospective cohort study of Baltimore City residents who tested HIV-positive for first time in 2004. These individuals were examined for STD coinfection through 2008. Coinfected individuals were analyzed to determine demographic characteristics, risk behavior and post-test counseling rates.
Results: The study identified 424 incident cases of HIV in 2004 in Baltimore City. Fifty-three (12.5%) were diagnosed with an STD after their HIV diagnosis. These 53 co-infected individuals had an average age of 28.9 years, 69.8% were male, 92.5% were African American, 67.9% were tested for HIV in an STD clinic setting, and 84.9% received post-test counseling following their positive HIV test. In total, there were 104 unique occurrences of STD infection among these 53 individuals, indicating re-infection of some individuals. Twenty-two individuals (41.5%) were reinfected with an STD during follow-up, meaning they had more than one STD infection over the period of the study. These 22 reinfected individuals had an average age of 26.0 years, 81.8% were tested for HIV in an STD clinic setting and 100% received post-test counseling. Of the 22 reinfected individuals, 40.9% identified as MSM, 27.3% reported heterosexual contact, and 9.1% reported working in the commercial sex industry.
Conclusions: Rates of STD coinfection were high among people who previously tested positive for HIV. The reoccurrence of STD coinfection among several HIV-positive individuals was substantial, even among individuals who received post-test counseling for HIV infection.
Implications for Programs, Policy, and/or Research: Tailoring behavior change messages to specific risk groups during HIV counseling and testing may be justified in areas with high rates of STD coinfection.
![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.gif)