Primary Article

Profile of HIV Disease in an American Border City

Authors: ABRAHAM VERGHESE MD, FRCP(C), DELLA NABHAN PA, MIGUEL A. ESCOBEDO MD, MPH, JOSIE GUARDADO, LUIS G. GUERRA MD, HOI HO MD, PAUL CASNER MD, PhD, El Paso, Tex, MARC L. BERK PhD, Bethesda, Md

Abstract

ABSTRACTA previous study on patterns of migration of HIV-infected persons suggested that most patients in a rural setting in eastern Tennessee acquired their disease in an urban area, typically during a period of prolonged residence. Disease and disability were the most common reasons for returning to their hometown. We studied our urban, border-city HIV clinic population to see whether similar patterns of migration were discernible. Fifty-one of the 103 patients studied lived outside of the El Paso/Juarez area when they contracted HIV infection. The major reason cited for returning home was a desire to return to family (25%). Those who returned and those who had never left showed no statistically significant difference in age, race, or risk factors. This study suggests that migration of HIV-infected patients back to their hometown does not appear to be an exclusively rural phenomenon.

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References