Expired CME Article
Minorities, the Poor, and Survivors of Abuse: HIV-Infected Patients in the US Deep South
Abstract
Background: The HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. South is undergoing a marked shift toward a greater proportion of new HIV/AIDS cases in women, African-Americans, and through heterosexual transmission.
Methods: Using consecutive sampling, 611 participants were interviewed from eight Infectious Diseases clinics in five southeastern states in 2001 to 2002.
Results: Sixty four percent of participants were African-American, 31% were female, and 43% acquired HIV through heterosexual sex; 25% had private health insurance. Eighty-one percent were on antiretroviral therapy, and 46% had HIV RNA viral loads (VL) <400. Women and racial/ethnic minorities were less likely to be on antiretrovirals and to have VL <400. Probable psychiatric disorders (54%) and history of childhood sexual (30%) and physical abuse (21%) were common.
Conclusions: Prevention and care systems need to address the HIV epidemic’s shift into poor, minority, and female populations. High levels of trauma and probable psychiatric disorders indicate a need to assess for and address these conditions in HIV clinical care.
Key Points
* HIV, both nationally and particularly in the US South, is increasingly affecting minorities, women, the poor, and those living in rural areas, and is increasingly transmitted through heterosexual intercourse.
* Mental illness, substance use, and history of psychosocial trauma are common comorbidities of HIV-infected patients: three out of four patients meet criteria for at least one of the three, with overlap common.
* These psychiatric comorbidities have been linked to worse clinical outcomes for HIV-positive individuals, suggesting that significant clinical benefit could be achieved by routinely integrating mental health assessment and related services into HIV clinical care.
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