History Of STD Research Articles

INCARCERATION AND HIV RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG INJECTION DRUG USERS: A MIDWESTERN CASE STUDY

ABSTRACT Recent statistics indicate that injection drug users (IDUs) and crack cocaine users are increasingly coming into contact with the criminal justice system. A number of these individuals engage in high risk behaviors associated with the transmission of the AIDS virus. This study examines the relationship between level of HIV risk behavior and history of exposure to jail or prison using a sample of 879 midwestem, not-in-treatment IDUs. A number of HIV high-risk variables were found to be significantly related to the IDUs’ time in jail, including: (1) initiation to drug injection at an early age, (2) having multiple sex partners, (3) having a history of an STD, (4) being a daily drug user, (5) daily injection of cocaine, heroin, or speedball, (6) inconsistent use of condoms, and (7) using rented needles. Our data indicate that active IDUs with the highest HIV risk behaviors were those most likely to spend time in jail. Because it reaches a large number of at-risk IDUs, the criminal justice system app...

Relationship between contraceptive method choice and beliefs about HIV and pregnancy prevention.

The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between contraceptive method choice and perceptions of HIV and pregnancy risk among women at risk of HIV infection and transmission. Women who were infected with HIV or who were at high risk of infection were administered a questionnaire assessing sexual and drug-related HIV risk behaviors and beliefs, STD and pregnancy history, and intentions, beliefs and behaviors regarding pregnancy, childbearing and contraception. Among women who reported using a contraceptive method every time they had intercourse, 43% used condoms only, 22% used birth control pills only, and 11% used both. Only 58% of consistent condom users believed they were very unlikely to become infected with HIV in the next year. Controlling for risk factor differences, pill-only users were less likely to believe themselves at risk of HIV infection, and more confident in their ability to prevent HIV infection, compared with condom-only users. Results suggest that women's beliefs about the effectiveness of a method for pregnancy prevention may generalize to beliefs about the efficacy of the method for disease prevention.

Knowledge of gonorrhea in adolescent women with history of STD

Knowledge of gonorrhea in adolescent women with history of STD

Epidemiologic Characteristics of Two Different Populations of Women with Chlamydia trachomatis Infection and Their Male Partners

Two groups of women under the age of 26 with chlamydial infection (A-asymptomatic women from a screening program, B-traditional STD clinic patients) and their partners were compared with respect to history of STD, sexual behavior, contraception, and indices for income and social welfare expense. The mean number of partners was 1.3 in group A and 1.8 in group B. Women in group B, in spite of more frequent condom use, demonstrated greater risk behavior both with respect to STD and to unwanted pregnancy and also had higher indices for social welfare expense. More group A partners than group B partners were asymptomatic and chlamydia negative. Group B partners also more often had low income as well as high social welfare expense indices. In both groups, complicated chains of transmission were found, and the need for expert contact tracing in both types of patient groups is stressed.

Assessing Prior History of Sexually Transmitted Disease

In Reply. —We thank Drs McHugh and Palusci for their letter in which they suggest that a global question pertaining to ever having had an STD presented to adolescents may be even less informative than among adult women. We performed additional analyses to assess the relationship of responses to the global question with specific questions among the 242 women aged 15 to 19 years (15.5% of total population). The proportion of these young women responding positively to the global question was 23.5%, a proportion surprisingly similar to the 25.8% previously reported for the total population. The pattern of agreement between responses to the global question and the specific STD questions was also similar to that of all study subjects. In addition to observing an equal proportion of our youngest study subjects with an STD history, we noted the rate of clinically detected infection with Chlamydia trachomatis or Trichomonas vaginalis was

Interactions entre L’infection a VIH, le SIDA et les autres MST

Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is mainly transmitted by sexual intercourses. History of STD’s and serological markers of STD’s are frequently encountered in HIV-infected patients. This is partly due to a common mode of transmission. However, it has been clearly demonstrated that ulcerative and non ulcerative STD’s are able to favour the sexual transmission of HIV. In addition, the HIV epidemic has a profound impact on clinical presentation of STD’s and justify specific therapeutical attitudes.

Sex Partner Recruitment As Risk Factor for STD

Nine hundred and fourteen heterosexual persons who requested care at STD clinics in South Carolina responded to self-administered questions on STD history, socio-demographic characteristics, number of sexual partners, and sexual partner choice. These data and the current STD diagnosis were analysed using multivariate techniques. Sexual behaviors of men and women were different. Men reported greater number of partners and less discriminating sex partner recruitment patterns. Age, rural/urban residence, race, and number of sex partners were independent predictors of gonorrhea infection among men. Among women, age, rural/urban residence, and not knowing the most recent sex partner very well emerged as independent predictors of infection.

Osteoporosis--a problem of bone formation?

OBJECTIVE--To estimate the HIV-1 seroprevalence, behavioural risks and attitude to HIV-1 infection among lesbians. SETTING--Institute of Infectious Diseases, University of Turin, Italy. SUBJECTS--From March 1992 to May 1993, 181 lesbians were tested for HIV-1 and included in the study. METHODS--Sociodemographic details, nonsexual risks for HIV-1, sexual behaviour, STD history and attitude to HIV-1 were obtained from an anonymous, standardised, self-administered, 30-item questionnaire. Snow-ball techniques were used to recruit the largest possible number of participants. RESULTS--11 lesbians (6.1%) were found to be HIV-1 antibody positive. Of them, 10 were intravenous (i.v.) drug users. STD episodes were higher among lesbians with HIV-1 than without (p = 0.04), increasing in both groups over time. Syphilis, genital herpes and viral hepatitis were highly associated with HIV-1 (p = 0.000). In univariate analysis, i.v. drug use, bisexual behaviour, history of STDs, sex during menses and vaginal/anal manipulation were significantly linked to HIV-1 (p = 0.000). In multivariate analysis only history of i.v. drug use (p = 0.04) and bisexual behaviour (p = 0.06) remained independently associated with HIV-1. Seventy-one participants (39.3%) had already undergone AIDS testing. Only 3.5% admitted to be at risk for HIV-1 and 11% changed their sex habits after first hearing of AIDS. No lesbian had ever practised safe-sex. Television was the most important source of information on HIV-1 (84%). CONCLUSION--I.v. drug use was the most likely means of HIV-1 infecting the lesbians of Turin. The high rate of STDs and the low perceived risk to HIV-1 require programmes of STD prevention and AIDS information to be targeted at the lesbian community.