Rising HIV-1 prevalence among sexually transmitted disease clinic attenders in Jamaica: traumatic sex and genital ulcers as risk factors

ABSTRACT

Between November 1990 and January 1991, status of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was assessed for 522 men and 484 women attending the Comprehensive Health Centre in Kingston, Jamaica, for a new sexually transmitted disease (STD) complaint. Prevalence of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) infection was 3.1 percent (31 of 1,006), a tenfold rise in seroprevalence in 4.5 years. Nineteen of 517 (3.7 percent) heterosexual men, 3 of 5 (60 percent) homosexual/bisexual men, and 9 of 484 (1.9 percent) women were infected with HIV. In heterosexual men, factors associated with HIV infection after age adjustment included present complaints of genital ulcers [odds ratio (OR) 7.3; 95 percent confidence interval (CI) 1.4-72], past history of genital ulcer (OR)4.3; CI, 1.4-12), positive MHATP syphilis serology (OR, 3.4; CI, 1.1-10), sex with a prostitute in the past month (OR, 3.8; CI, 1.1-11). Three or more sex partners in the month prior to the complaint (OR, 3.6; CI, 1.0-12), and bruising during sex (OR, 4.0; CI, 1.4-13). On multiple logistic regression analysis, independent associations with HIV infection were shown for bruising during sex (OR, 3.0; CI, 1.1-8.3), positive MHATP syphilis serology (OR,3.2; CI, 1.1-9.5), and history of genital ulcer (OR 2.9; CI, 1.0-8.0). (AU)