KNOWLEDGE OF HIV-POSITIVITY HAD NO IMPACT ON AIDS SURVIVAL-TIME AMONGDANISH AIDS PATIENTS 1980-95

Objective: To examine the impact of the time period from first positiv e HIV test to AIDS diagnosis and other variables on survival after AID S diagnosis. Materials and methods: All adult AIDS patients diagnosed and reported to the national surveillance unit in Denmark in the perio d 1980 through dune 1995, Results: A total of 1745 patients was diagno sed in the period, and for 1631 (93.5%) the date of first positive HIV test was known, The median interval between this test and AIDS diagno sis was 912 d, Overall, 473 patients (29.0%) were found to be HIV-posi tive close to the AIDS diagnosis (less than or equal to 4 months). The time interval between first positive HIV test and AIDS diagnosis vari ed by transmission categories. Patients older than 40 y had a higher m ortality than younger patients. Patients infected by blood products ha d the highest mortality, The survival time was shortest for patients p resenting with HIV-wasting or HIV-encephalopathy or with greater than or equal to I AIDS-defining disease. The time interval between first p ositive HIV test and AIDS diagnosis had no impact on survival. Conclus ion: No association was found between survival time and the time inter val between first positive HIV test and AIDS diagnosis. Older age and transmission by blood or blood products were associated with shorter s urvival from AIDS diagnosis.