AIDS patients survival in the Basque Country (Northern Spain): 1984-1995

Objective : To study survival of AIDS patients in the Basque Country (North ern Spain), by analyzing changes in survival throughout time. Design: Retrospective study of adult and adolescent AIDS patients declared at the Basque Country AIDS Prevention and Control Plan between 1984 and 199 5. Results: 3104 patients was registered, of whom 2070 (66.7%) had died at dea dline study date. Median survival of the population was 24 months after AID S diagnosis. Estimated survival was 68.7% at 1(st) year and 38.4% at 3(rd) year. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in survival accord ing to the following factors: age, transmission mechanism, AIDS-defining di sease, and the time of diagnosis. In multivariate analysis, the only variab les with independent prognostic value influencing survival were age and ini tial AIDS-defining disease. Death risk increases with patient age at the mo ment of AIDS diagnosis (1.023 for each additional year of age). Risk associ ated to initial AIDS-defining disease is very variable, ranging from 0.76 f or extrapulmonary tuberculosis to 2.20 for lymphoma.