HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS ANTIBODY-TEST AND SEROPREVALENCE IN PSYCHIATRIC-PATIENTS

Psychiatric inpatients are at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (H IV) infection. Investigations in the United States revealed seropreval ence rates of 5.5-8.9%. Therefore, inclusion of HIV antibody testing i n routine laboratory screening is sometimes suggested. To investigate this issue for inpatients in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Munich, the incidence, reason for HIV testing and results were anal yzed. Of 12,603 patients, hospitalized from 1985 to 1993, 4.9% (623 pa tients, 265 in risk groups) underwent the HIV test after informed cons ent. Thirty patients (4.8% of those tested) were found to be positive, but only in 5 cases (all of risk groups) was infection newly detected . Data indicate that, in psychiatry, HIV testing is reasonable only in patients in risk groups or if clinical variables suggest HIV infectio n.