Does More HIV Testing Identify More New HIV Cases?

Retrospective analysis of New York City registry data demonstrated that the proportion of newly identified HIV cases varied significantly across testing sites during a period of increased Western blot testing.

One goal of increased HIV testing is to identify more HIV-positive patients who are unaware of their status. To assess whether that goal is achieved, researchers focused on New York City, where testing conducted or funded by the health department has increased greatly in recent years. Specifically, they used the New York City HIV Surveillance Registry to retrospectively identify the percentage of positive Western blot tests, conducted from January 2004 through December 2006, that represented new HIV diagnoses. Tests had been performed at a variety of locations, including health-department and other city-run facilities.

Of 31,504 unique positive Western blot tests linked to 23,090 cases in the registry, only 11,600 (37%) represented newly dia…

Reviewing Author

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Does More HIV Testing Identify More New HIV Cases?

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Reviewing Author