Biomaterial Database

HIV testing and unreported HIV positivity among injecting drug users in London. 1993

M C Donoghoe, and T J Rhodes, and G M Hunter, and G V Stimson

Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London, UK.

OBJECTIVE To assess the importance of community-recruited drug injectors with no treatment experience and no previous testing history when estimating HIV prevalence among drug injectors. METHODS HIV testing behaviour and prevalence were measured in a serial point prevalence study of drug injectors recruited in community-based non-treatment and treatment settings. METHODS Pearson's chi 2 and Fisher's exact tests were used to measure differences between treatment groups and non-treatment groups in demographic characteristics, including age and length of injecting career, recent drug use, recent syringe sharing, uptake of previous HIV testing, confirmed HIV-antibody status by saliva and self-reported HIV status. RESULTS Rates of HIV-antibody testing were significantly lower in community-recruited drug injectors with no experience of treatment than those previously or currently in treatment. Confirmed HIV prevalence by saliva was highest in drug injectors with no experience of treatment. HIV-antibody-positive drug injectors with no treatment experience were less likely to be aware of their antibody status than injectors who were, or who had been, in treatment. CONCLUSIONS Previous studies of HIV prevalence among drug injectors may be biased by drawing on samples primarily from treatment settings. Drug injectors with no treatment experience and no previous history of HIV testing should be included in HIV prevalence studies. Regular and repeat HIV testing in low-threshold community-based programmes should be considered a necessary part of interventions which seek to provide better access to treatment and other HIV prevention services.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008131	London	The capital of the United Kingdom. It is located in England.
D008297	Male		Males
D003710	Demography	Statistical interpretation and description of a population with reference to distribution, composition, or structure.	Demographer,Demographic,Demographic and Health Survey,Population Distribution,Accounting, Demographic,Analyses, Demographic,Analyses, Multiregional,Analysis, Period,Brass Technic,Brass Technique,Demographers,Demographic Accounting,Demographic Analysis,Demographic Factor,Demographic Factors,Demographic Impact,Demographic Impacts,Demographic Survey,Demographic Surveys,Demographic and Health Surveys,Demographics,Demography, Historical,Demography, Prehistoric,Factor, Demographic,Factors, Demographic,Family Reconstitution,Historical Demography,Impact, Demographic,Impacts, Demographic,Multiregional Analysis,Period Analysis,Population Spatial Distribution,Prehistoric Demography,Reverse Survival Method,Stable Population Method,Survey, Demographic,Surveys, Demographic,Analyses, Period,Analysis, Demographic,Analysis, Multiregional,Demographic Analyses,Demographies, Historical,Demographies, Prehistoric,Distribution, Population,Distribution, Population Spatial,Distributions, Population,Distributions, Population Spatial,Family Reconstitutions,Historical Demographies,Method, Reverse Survival,Method, Stable Population,Methods, Reverse Survival,Methods, Stable Population,Multiregional Analyses,Period Analyses,Population Distributions,Population Methods, Stable,Population Spatial Distributions,Prehistoric Demographies,Reconstitution, Family,Reconstitutions, Family,Reverse Survival Methods,Spatial Distribution, Population,Spatial Distributions, Population,Stable Population Methods,Technic, Brass,Technique, Brass
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D012307	Risk Factors	An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent.	Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D012463	Saliva	The clear, viscous fluid secreted by the SALIVARY GLANDS and mucous glands of the mouth. It contains MUCINS, water, organic salts, and ptylin.	Salivas
D015528	HIV Seroprevalence	Studies of the number of cases where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is present in a specific population at a designated time. The presence in a given individual is determined by the finding of HIV antibodies in the serum (HIV SEROPOSITIVITY).	Seroprevalence, HIV
D015658	HIV Infections	Includes the spectrum of human immunodeficiency virus infections that range from asymptomatic seropositivity, thru AIDS-related complex (ARC), to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).	HTLV-III Infections,HTLV-III-LAV Infections,T-Lymphotropic Virus Type III Infections, Human,HIV Coinfection,Coinfection, HIV,Coinfections, HIV,HIV Coinfections,HIV Infection,HTLV III Infections,HTLV III LAV Infections,HTLV-III Infection,HTLV-III-LAV Infection,Infection, HIV,Infection, HTLV-III,Infection, HTLV-III-LAV,Infections, HIV,Infections, HTLV-III,Infections, HTLV-III-LAV,T Lymphotropic Virus Type III Infections, Human