High Rates of STIs in HIV-Infected Patients Attending an STI Clinic in Miami
OBJECTIVES:
To
evaluate the rates and types of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in
patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attending a
public STI clinic in Miami, Florida as compared with HIV-uninfected patients
attending the same clinic.
METHODS:
This was
a retrospective review of medical records of individuals attending the
Miami-Dade County Health Department STI clinic from March 2012 to May 2012.
Demographic and clinical information was abstracted and transferred to an
electronic database. Consecutive age-matched HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected
patients were identified during the study period. Demographics, risk factors,
and history and rates of STIs for HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients and
for those with newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed HIV infection were
compared.
RESULTS:
A total
of 175 medical records were reviewed (89 HIV-infected patients and 86
HIV-uninfected patients). The median age was 37 years. A history of STIs,
including syphilis, was more common in HIV-infected than in HIV-uninfected
patients. Individuals with a prior diagnosis of HIV were more likely to be
older (older than 37 years of age, χ(2) = 15.3, P < 0.01), male (χ(2) =
4.74, P = 0.05), to have a new STI (χ(2) = 5.83, P = 0.01), to have a new
diagnosis of syphilis (χ(2) = 5.15, P = 0.01), and to be under medical care
(χ(2) = 31.19, P < 0.001) than those newly diagnosed as having HIV.
CONCLUSIONS:
HIV-infected
individuals who attended this urban STI clinic had high rates of new and past
STIs, suggesting the persistence of high-risk sexual behaviors. STI clinics
could be a premier site to identify individuals with HIV and high-risk sexual
behaviors who could benefit from additional targeted interventions.
- 1From the Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
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