Age and gender as risk factors for the transmission of HIV in a sample of drug users of Porto Alegre, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: To verify the association between age and gender regarding HIV seropositivity in drug users who seek public health centers in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Methods: The authors designed a cross-sectional study with a convenience sampling of 695 men and women aged above 15, who reported recent drug use and risk behaviors to HIV exposure. We used a standard questionnaire (CRA, Brazilian version of the RAB, Risk Assessment Battery) to assess risk behaviors and we collected blood for HIV testing. Results: Most individuals were males (75,8%), with a mean age of 29.4 years, less than seven years of schooling (42,4%), and family income equal or superior to four minimum wages (46%). There was no significant association between gender and seropositivity. Multivariate analyses showed that individuals aged above 30 had a three-fold increased odds of being seropositive over subjects aged 20 or less. Intravenous drug users who had been using drugs since 1980 had five-fold odds of seropositivity and those who had been using them in the month prior to the interview had four-fold odds. Discussion: Subjects aged more than 30 showed higher odds of seropositivity than the younger group. This is possibly due to a higher use of intravenous cocaine and to having more risk behaviors along their lifetime. There was no difference in seropositivity between genders, what differs from current data of other studies, if we take into consideration that rates of populational seropositivity among women have increased, mostly among drug users, who are, therefore, at 'double risk'. The development of further studies is mandatory in order to assess gender and age as risk factors for seropositivity, whether to confirm or to deny these findings, and to plan specific strategies for high-risk groups.

HIV prevalence among female sex workers, drug users and men who have sex with men in Brazil: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Eight studies were excluded from our meta-analysis due to different reasons. The study conducted by De Boni and Pechansky [ 75 ] did not provide the HIV-prevalence for the overall sample and the study conducted by Guimarães et al [ 78 ] with male inmates did not stratify their results according to different patterns of drug use. Two studies were conducted with participants who were co-infected with HIV and HCV, a specific subgroup that could bias the analysis toward people under higher risk and/or severely ill [ 65 , 66 ].…”

Preditores de soropositividade para HIV em indivíduos não abusadores de drogas que buscam centros de testagem e aconselhamento de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

“…Os motivos que levam os indiví-duos a buscar um teste para HIV são bastante 17 não encontraram uma associação direta entre gênero e soropositividade. Entretanto, os autores mencionam, na discussão do artigo, que isso poderia ser um achado histórico na transição das razões de soroprevalência entre homens e mulheres (os dados também foram coletados entre 1995 e 1997), quando haveria um progressivo nivelamento entre as diferenças da razão homem/mulher que era encontrada previamente (maior nos homens).…”

“…Os 570 sujeitos deste estudo são provenientes do processo amostral de um estudo de natureza similar, que visava conhecer os comportamentos e situações associadas a maior soropositividade de usuários de droga sistemáticos que estivessem fazendo uso regular de drogas no mês prévio à coleta de dados 13,14,15,16,17 . O uso regular foi definido como ter utilizado substân-cias psicoativas quase sempre ou todos os dias no mês prévio à coleta, o que era aferido pelo questionário sobre comportamentos de risco para AIDS.…”

Using thought mapping and structured stories to decrease HIV risk behaviors among cocaine injectors and crack smokers in the South of Brazil

“…Overall, 44.5% of the sample tested positive for HIV. Most studies conducted with IDUs and crack users in Brazil have had high seropositivity rates, which ranged from 28% to 44%.…”