Risk factors and prevalence of HIV infection in people seeking health care in an STI clinic in Brazil

Abstract

Comprehensive care for people seeking assistance in sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinics provides access to a group of patients in need of HIV prevention interventions and represents appropriate locations for the implementation of these activities. The goal of this study was to determine the risk factors for HIV infection. A profile of patients seeking care in an STI clinic in Vitória, Brazil; including the motives for this, the risk factors and the prevalence for HIV was carried out. Patients were systematically interviewed regarding demographic information, motivation for seeking assistance, risk exposures, and clinical data. Blood samples were collected to test HIV infection in 562 people enrolled in the study. Prevalence of HIV infection was 6.8 per cent (95 per cent CI 4.7–8.9). Prevention and STI symptoms were the main reasons for seeking care. Variables found to be independently associated with HIV infection were: age (> = 30 years) [OR = 3.24 (95 per cent CI 1.40–7.52)]; seeking medical assistance [OR = 3.88 (95 per cent CI 6.22–40.95)]; and illicit drug use [OR = 14.58 (95 per cent CI 6.11–34.72)]. These results found high prevalence of HIV infection in this population and reinforce the need for ongoing STI prevention activities to further decrease HIV and other STI.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Mr. Italo Campos, coordinator of the Reference Centre for STD and AIDS in Vitória for all the support during the development of the study and Mauro Cunha Ramos, MD, PhD and Jeffrey Mandel, PhD, MPH for revising the text and expert suggestions.