HIV RISK-FACTORS IN DUALLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS

The authors examined correlates of HIV seropositivity in a sample of d ually diagnosed in patients. The subjects were 147 consecutively admit ted patients to a specialized dual-diagnosis unit in a municipal hospi tal who were given a structured interviewer and HIV testing The HIV se roprevalence was 19%, with women having a nearly fourfold increased ri sk of being HIV seropositive, as compared with men. Cocaine as drug of choice was also highly significant as a risk factor for HIV infection , independent of gender This finding suggests that targeted prevention and education programs need to be developed for the dually diagnosed patient.