Late Diagnosis of HIV: A Persistent Problem

Nearly half of all patients at a university clinic in the southern U.S. had AIDS at the time of their HIV diagnoses.

Early diagnosis of HIV infection is critical to the health of both the affected individual and the public. When patients initiate antiretroviral therapy at relatively high CD4-cell counts, they are more likely to benefit from therapy and, because of reduced viral loads, may also be less likely to spread the virus to others. Furthermore, individuals tend to moderate their high-risk sexual behavior when they know they are HIV-infected.

To evaluate the prevalence and predictors of late HIV diagnosis, investigators evaluated data from 113 patients who presented to the Duke University HIV clinic within 6 months of HIV diagnosis. Approximately 27% of the patients were women, 63% belonged to a racial or ethnic minority, and 39% were uninsured. At t…

Reviewing Author

Carlos del Rio, MD

Late Diagnosis of HIV: A Persistent Problem

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Reviewing Author