TIME FROM DIAGNOSIS OF ACQUIRED-IMMUNE-DEFICIENCY-SYNDROME (AIDS) TO DEATH AMONG PERSONS WITH BLOOD-BORNE AIDS IN ITALY

The objective of the study reported here was to analyze survival time and factors associated with more rapid death among persons with acquir ed immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Italy who acquired human immun odeficiency virus (HIV) infection through the transfusion of blood (n = 115) or blood components (n = 111). Subjects included all persons wi th AIDS all reported to the Italian AIDS Registry. The Kaplan-Meier me thod was used to estimate both the median survival time from the date of AIDS diagnosis to the date of death and the median survival time st ratified by age at diagnosis, time of diagnosis, and AIDS-indicator di sease. The Cox proportional-hazard model was used to assess factors in dependently associated with death. The prognosis for persons with bloo d-borne AIDS in Italy remains poor: overall median survival time was e stimated to be 9.2 months, with no significant differences between hem ophiliacs and transfusion recipients (p = 0.91). The median survival t ime for subjects > 60 years old was 6.0 months, which is a significant ly shorter time than that for younger subjects (p < 0.001). Subjects d iagnosed prior to 1988 had a median survival time of 8.2 months, which is a significantly shorter time than that for subjects diagnosed afte r 1987 (p < 0.03). Subjects neurologically affected by Al DS had a med ian survival time of 4.1 months, which is a significantly shorter time than that for subjects diagnosed with any other disease (p = 0.03). S uch factors were independently associated with more rapid death.