Clinical care issues for women living with HIV and AIDS in the United States

As the number of women infected with HIV in the United States continues to increase, the medical community is faced with the challenge of providing ad equate and appropriate care to them. This paper reviews keg questions conce rning the state of knowledge on the epidemiology, biology, and clinical car e of women living with HIV and AIDS in the United States. Because heterosex ual transmission accounts for a growing number of cases among women, biolog ical factors and cofactors that may enhance women's susceptibility to HPV i nfection are also reviewed, HIV-related gynecological issues are presented separately to evaluate whether gynecological complications are distinct in HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected women. Questions of whether there are sex-s pecific differences In the efficacy and adverse effects of new antiviral ag ents are discussed. In addition, significant gaps are highlighted that stil l exist in our understanding of both the effects of HIV and HIV-related dru gs upon pregnancy. Finally, the psychiatric stresses and complications that affect women living with HIV and AIDS are also discussed. In each section of this review, gaps in our knowledge of these issues are identified. To pr operly address these disparities in knowledge, not only do efforts to gathe r sex-specific biomedical data need to be more exacting, but there is a dis tinct need to conduct more sex-specific research concerning HIV.