Regional patterns of the temporal evolution of the AIDS epidemic in Brazil following the introduction of antiretroviral therapy

Abstract

We examined the characteristics of the AIDS epidemic in the northeastern region of Brazil, comparing it to the epidemic in Brazil as a whole, and to the state of São Paulo, with respect to the temporal evolution of morbidity and mortality during the period 1990 to 1999, using information from communicable disease reports and mortality records. Since 1996, the incidence rate of AIDS in adults in Brazil as a whole and in São Paulo has been showing a trend towards stability, whereas in the Brazilian northeast the incidence rates of the disease continue to grow. In the northeast, sexual transmission is responsible for more than 80% of cases, injectable drug users (IDU) comprising only a small percentage of cases. There is a greater incidence of AIDS among groups with lower educational levels throughout the country. The comparative analysis of cases of AIDS and of deaths from AIDS shows growth, both in the number of cases and in the number of deaths; however, from 1996 onwards there has been a progressive reduction in the number of deaths in all regions analyzed. With respect to the incidence of cases of the disease acquired by vertical transmission, a significant growth trend can be seen in all regions for cases born in the period 1990-6, but in 1997 temporal analysis showed evidence of a reduction in this growth. In conclusion, temporal changes have occurred in the AIDS epidemic in Brazil, which has been showing a trend towards stability since 1996, when potent ARV therapy was introduced. However, this deceleration is not homogenous throughout all the regions.

Desfecho do tratamento e confirmação laboratorial do diagnóstico de tuberculose em pacientes com HIV/AIDS no Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil

“…(17) Since the Correia Picanço Hospital is a referral center, the condition of the patients treated at this hospital is critical, and the diagnosis, or suspected diagnosis, of TB/ HIV co-infection is usually made when the infection is in an advanced stage. This is confirmed by the findings of a study conducted in the northeast of Brazil, (20) in which half of the HIV/AIDS patients already presented signs or symptoms of immunosuppression when they arrived at specialized clinics, suggesting that the diagnosis and the treatment of HIV infection are both delayed.…”

Hazardous alcohol use among transwomen in a Brazilian city

“…Saúde Pública 2017; 33(3):e00008815 towards a stabilization of the epidemic by 2019 20 . In addition, all research on HIV prevention measures in the general population shows that indicators for condom use and knowledge about AIDS are lower in the Northeast 21 .…”

Adesão ao tratamento, acesso e qualidade da assistência em Aids no Brasil

“…Estas associações são consistentes com estudos nacionais realizados em contextos locais 21,22,32,33 com vários estudos internacionais 34,35,36 e estão bem estabelecidas.…”