PRIMARY HIV-INFECTION - OFTEN SUSPECTED BUT DIAGNOSED LATE

We report the history and clinical findings in 17 patients with primar y HIV infection (PHI) diagnosed in the first 6 months of 1994. 9 of th ese patients were infected through heterosexual contacts, 5 were women with, as the only risk factor, sexual contacts with infected men. 10 of the 17 patients were symptomatic and the diagnosis of PHI was suspe cted in 8 of these patients at their first medical visit. However, the laboratory investigations were incomplete since p24 Ag was only reque sted for one patient and this led to a delay in diagnosis. Sera collec ted at the time of the first medical visit were available for 4 sympto matic patients, and in all of them p24 Ag was detected in the absence of HIV specific antibodies. These data underline the frequent occurren ce of HIV transmission by the heterosexual route and the need to searc h for both specific antibodies and p24 Ag at the time of PHI.