GENDER DIFFERENCES IN REPORTED AIDS-INDICATIVE DIAGNOSES

To compare AIDS-defining conditions in women and men, US adult AIDS ca ses diagnosed between January 1988 and June 1991 and reported to the C enters for Disease Control and Prevention through June 1992 were exami ned. For most AIDS-defining conditions, the prevalence was similar for women and men when differences in race/ethnicity and mode of transmis sion were accounted for. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was the most p revalent condition (>50%) regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, or mod e of transmission. By logistic regression analysis, among injection dr ug users, conditions reported significantly more frequently in women t han in men include esophageal candidiasis (odds ratio [OR], 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40-1.62), herpes simplex virus (HSV) disea se (OR, 1.68; CI, 1.46-1.94), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease (OR, 1 .43; CI, 1.18-1.73). More knowledge of the interrelationships in women between HIV infection and secondary opportunistic infections, includi ng candidiasis and sexually transmitted diseases (e.g., HSV and CMV) i s needed.