Biomaterial Database

Declining seroprevalence in a very large HIV epidemic: injecting drug users in New York City, 1991 to 1996. 1998

D C Des Jarlais, and T Perlis, and S R Friedman, and S Deren, and T Chapman, and J L Sotheran, and S Tortu, and M Beardsley, and D Paone, and L V Torian, and S T Beatrice, and E DeBernardo, and E Monterroso, and M Marmor

Chemical Dependency Institute, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY 10003, USA. dcdesjarla@aol.com

OBJECTIVE This study assessed recent trends in HIV seroprevalence among injecting drug users in New York City. METHODS We analyzed temporal trends in HIV seroprevalence from 1991 through 1996 in 5 studies of injecting drug users recruited from a detoxification program, a methadone maintenance program, research storefronts in the Lower East Side and Harlem areas, and a citywide network of sexually transmitted disease clinics. A total of 11,334 serum samples were tested. RESULTS From 1991 through 1996, HIV seroprevalence declined substantially among subjects in all 5 studies: from 53% to 36% in the detoxification program, from 45% to 29% in the methadone program, from 44% to 22% at the Lower East Side storefront, from 48% to 21% at the Harlem storefront, and from 30% to 21% in the sexually transmitted disease clinics (all P < .002 by chi 2 tests for trend). CONCLUSIONS The reductions in HIV seroprevalence seen among injecting drug users in New York City from 1991 through 1996 indicate a new phase in this large HIV epidemic. Potential explanatory factors include the loss of HIV-seropositive individuals through disability and death and lower rates of risk behavior leading to low HIV incidence.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D009519	New York City	City located at the mouth of the Hudson River, in New York State.
D011159	Population Surveillance	Ongoing scrutiny of a population (general population, study population, target population, etc.), generally using methods distinguished by their practicability, uniformity, and frequently their rapidity, rather than by complete accuracy.	Surveillance, Population
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
D012309	Risk-Taking	Undertaking a task involving a challenge for achievement or a desirable goal in which there is a lack of certainty or a fear of failure. It may also include the exhibiting of certain behaviors whose outcomes may present a risk to the individual or to those associated with him or her.	Risk Behavior,Behavior, Risk,Behaviors, Risk,Risk Behaviors,Risk Taking
D014504	Urban Health	The status of health in urban populations.	Health, Urban
D015438	Health Behavior	Combination of HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, PRACTICE which underlie actions taken by individuals regarding their health.	Health-Related Behavior,Behavior, Health,Behavior, Health-Related,Behaviors, Health,Behaviors, Health-Related,Health Behaviors,Health Related Behavior,Health-Related Behaviors