HIV infection in families of HIV-positive and 'at-risk' HIV-negative women

Research of HIV infection within the family has focused upon sexual partner s and vertical transmission. The scope of the problem of multiple infection s and clustering of HIV among family members has, thus far, been less exten sively explored. The objectives of this study are to investigate HIV infect ion in family members of HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative high-risk wo men and to consider the impact of multiple HIV infections within the family . Baseline data were evaluated from a prospective observational cohort of 8 71 HIV-seropositive and 439 seronegative at-risk women who are participants in a longitudinal study of HIV in women at four sites in the USA (Montefio re, Bronx, NY; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Brown University, P rovidence, RI; Wayne State University, Detroit, MI). Women were asked if an yone close to them had HIV/AIDS or had died from HIV/AIDS. Responses which included HIV-positive family members were analyzed. In the seropositive coh ort, 35% (307/871) of the women had a family member with HIV infection. Of these 307 women, 38% reported having a sibling, 24% a husband and 27% had m ore than one family member with HIV/AIDS. Forty-nine per cent of Latina wom en, 34% of black women, and 21% of white women reported having a family mem ber with HIV/AIDS. Using logistic regression analysis, we found that Latina and black women were significantly more likely than white women to have a sibling, extended family member or more than one family member with HIV/AID S. Compared to seropositive women, seronegative high-risk women enrolled in this study appear equally likely to have an HIV-infected family member. In this study of HIV-positive women and high-risk seronegative women, a third reported having multiple family members with HIV infection, most often in a sibling. The high prevalence of HIV within families, particularly in the families of Latina and black women, mandates attention in planning both pre vention and care.