EPIDEMIOLOGIC EXPRESSION OF OTHER SEXUALL Y-TRANSMITTED DISEASES AMONG AIDS PATIENTS

This study was carried out in order to estimate the frequence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among AIDS patients and to identi fy their epidemiological association and possible relations to the gro ups most exposed to the virus. The data were collected from the medica l case histories and the STD were identified on the basis of data prov ided by anamnesis, physical examination and laboratory examinations. O f the total of HIV/AIDS patients assisted at the hospital studied (S.P aulo State, Brazil), between January 1986 and January 1992, 207 were i ncluded as sample subjects for this survey. Of the patients studied, 8 8 (42.5%) had some other STD and 119 (57.5%) had no other STD, equival ent to a proportion of 0.7 STD patients-STD to each non-STD patient. T he most prevalent STD identified were hepatitis B (33.3%), syphilis (3 0.3%) and gonorrhea (12.9%). Concerning the means of transmission by w hich the patients had probably been infected with HIV, blood transmiss ion was the most prevalent (44.9%); followed by sexual contact (21.3%) ; sexual/blood (17.9%); in 25.9% it was undetermined. In a particular comparison of sexual and blood transmisson and the presence of other S TD a statatiscal difference in those cases that were exposed to sexual transmission was observed.