Clinico-epidemiological patterns of HIV infection in STD patients in Ibadan

Abstract

The HIV-seropositive subjects identified among the STD Clinic patients seen at a Special Treatment Clinic between 1989 and 1990 were studied to determine the epidemiological and clinical trends of HIV infection in these patients, and to demonstrate any association between the STDs and HIV seropositivity. Thirty-seven out of the 581 patients investigated have been confirmed HIV seropositive by Western bolt. The prevalence of HIV infection was 6.4%. Anti-HIV-1 antibody prevalence (3.6%) was higher than that of anti-HIV-2 antibody (2.8%). The age-range of the patients investigated was from 2 weeks to 49 years, and the HIV-seropositive cases were in the age-range 15-49 years, with peak incidence of HIV infection in the 21-30 years age-bracket. The male: female ratio of HIV seropositive subjects was pratically the same (1.01:1). HIV antibody-positive cases consisted of residents from towns in both Northern and Southern Nigeria. Only one of the HIV antibody-positive cases has developed clinical AlDS-progressive weight loss fourteen months after he was found positive for HIV antibody.