DURATION OF HOSPITALIZATION DURING THE FIRST 2 YEARS AFTER AIDS DIAGNOSIS - A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Has there been a change in the duration of periods of hospitalization during the first two years after diagnosis of AIDS between patients di agnosed before 1988, compared with patients diagnosed since 1988? A co hort of 212 AIDS patients was studied. They were diagnosed before Dece mber 31, 1990 and were hospitalized between January 1, 1981 and March 31, 1993 in the University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland. Overall, t he duration of hospitalization did not seem to differ according to the year of AIDS diagnosis, though the more recently diagnosed patients w ere hospitalized with a more advanced level of immunosuppression. Howe ver, the pattern of hospitalization was slightly different. The period s of hospitalization for subjects diagnosed before 1988 were relativel y longer soon after the AIDS diagnosis and at a late stage in the cour se of the disease, whereas for the more recent patients the lengths of hospital slays were more uniform during the whole course of the disea se.