Changing demographics in an HIV-infected population: Results from an observational cohort study in western Denmark

We present demographic data from an observational database of HIV and AIDS in the Western part of Denmark. a region with a population of 2,935,156 ind ividuals (55.1% of the population of Denmark). Five centers in the region t reat HIV-positive adults; all patients attached to these centers since 1995 are included in this study. In total, 749 adult HIV-infected individuals w ere enrolled as of 31 December, 1999. Estimates of prevalence and incidence of HIV infection in the area were 25.9/100,000 and 2.6/100,000, respective ly, which are lower than average for the country. The number of newly diagn osed HIV-infected patients remained constant during the period 1995-99, wit h an average of 62 diagnoses per year. The number of HIV-related deaths dec lined from 43 in 1995 to 15 in 1999. Of the enrolled patients, 70.9% were o f Danish origin, 75% were Caucasians, 69.7% were male and 47.2%, had hetero sexual contact as their primary risk behavior. There seems to have been a s hift in the HIV epidemic in recent years, with a higher proportion of newly diagnosed HIV patients having contracted the infection through heterosexua l contact, a higher proportion being immigrants from less developed countri es and newly diagnosed individuals getting older.