While highly active antiretroviral therapy has been successful in delaying progression into AIDS, late HIV diagnosis remains a major contributor to the mortality and morbidity of AIDS. An epidemiological study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence and factors of late diagnosis and the characteristics of those individuals with late diagnosis in Liuzhou city. Patients with late diagnosis were defined as either those who were diagnosed with AIDS at the time of HIV diagnosis or as those who developed AIDS no more than 1 year after HIV diagnosis. Of 899 participants, 72.6% had a late diagnosis. Common characteristics of those who experienced late diagnosis included older participants, those who were unexpectedly diagnosed while seeking other medical attention, participants who believed they could not acquire HIV from their regular heterosexual partners, those who never considered getting tested for HIV, and patients with unexplained weight loss, angular cheilitis, or prolonged fever prior to HIV diagnosis. On the other hand, those participants who were diagnosed via testing at compulsory rehabilitation centers and those whose annual household income was greater than 30,000 Yuan were less likely to be diagnosed late. These results suggested that late HIV diagnosis is common in Liuzhou city, and it is essential to promote appropriate strategies to detect HIV infections earlier. Strategies that require HIV/AIDS patients to notify their spouse/sexual-partners about their HIV-positive results within one month and start provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling in medical facilities are beneficial to earlier HIV diagnosis.
Stigma is a common problem among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). However, little is known about HIV/AIDS-related stigma in older PLWHA over the age of 50. This study described the stigma of HIV/AIDS and its factors based on 120 PLWHA aged 50 or older in an area of high HIV prevalence in south rural China. Each participant completed a face-to-face questionnaire that collected information on demographic characteristics, AIDS-related events and experience of HIV/AIDS-related stigma. Finally, only 18.1% reported experiencing external stigma compared with 64.3% feeling internal stigma. Regression analysis indicated that social support and health status were the two variables that were significantly predictive of both external and internal stigma. Whatever, the more support were received from family members by PLWHA, the less external stigma was perceived. Negative marital situation was also related to external stigma. Reducing HIV/AIDS stigma requires a supportive environment, positive attitude and correct knowledge of AIDS. Health workers and policy makers should take practical approaches to reduce prejudice.
This study aimed at understanding the HIV prevalence, distribution of HIV risk factors and whether the HIV has spread from high-risk groups to the general population in the Yanyuan and Muli counties, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. A multistage probability method was used to select a representative sample of villages in each county, with stratification by risk employed in the sampling for the Yanyuan county. A real-name registration and confidential method were adopted to collect the information of the participants. Blood specimens were tested for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis C virus. A total of 4,950 subjects participated in the study. Of the participants aged ≥ 15 years, 0.12% self-reported being drug users and 40% were injection drug users; 0.46% had multiple sex partners and the condom use rate was only 26.3% during the last sexual intercourse. HIV, syphilis, and HCV prevalence of Yanyuan county were 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.142), 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.142), and 0.15% (95% CI: 0.020-0.280), respectively. HCV prevalence of Muli county was 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.191), and none was found to be HIV or syphilis positive. Therefore, the rate of HIV infection in Yanyuan and Muli counties is at a low level currently. The Yanyuan county HIV infection rate is similar to the average rate in all of China, and the Muli county rate is below China's average. The HIV epidemic has not spread from high-risk groups to the general population in these two counties.
The Chinese simplified version of MOS-HIV health survey had good feasibility, reliability and validity. It was successfully adapted for AIDS patients in rural areas and could be a valuable tool in evaluating the quality of life of AIDS patients.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.