Women Account For Increasing Share Of New Infections.(HIV infection )

2001 APR 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - HIV infection is become increasingly common among women in the United States, even among what have been considered low-risk populations, government researchers report.

S.L. Hader and colleagues reviewed published HIV and AIDS related literature dating back to early 1981 to chart the course of the epidemic among American women.

They found that, while the percentage of female AIDS patients has risen steadily over the past two decades, many women still can't or won't take full advantage of the available treatment options.

In 1999, the year of the latest published studies reviewed, women accounted for 18% of all AIDS cases. By contrast, Hader et al. noted, only 6.7% of reported AIDS cases in the U.S. in 1986 were women.

An increasing proportion of newly-infected women do not report engaging in high-risk behavior, including intravenous drug use or homosexual activity. In 1998, at least 54% of new cases were transmitted through heterosexual sex, study data showed. African-American women made up 61 % of new cases in that year, while 41% of new patients lived in the southern United States

Women who do fall into at-risk categories are often unable or reluctant to make use of antiretroviral treatments, which have been "proven to be highly effective in improving HIV related morbidity and mortality rates." Hader et al. said. These women are also likely to suffer from depression and often need extensive social support.

...