HIV infection in women utilizing a major hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India, 1993–2004

SummaryBackgroundDespite the high prevalence rates of HIV infection in women, epidemiological studies conducted exclusively on HIV-reactive women are very sparse, particularly from the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where the overall prevalence rate among antenatal women is 2.1%.Study populationMedical records of 2643 HIV-reactive women, identified during a 12-year period, were reviewed for epidemiological and clinical information about HIV in women.ResultsThe overall prevalence of HIV-reactive women was 1.6% and trends were in parallel with those observed by the HIV sentinel surveillance study from our state. Overall 24.5% of HIV-infected cases were women, ranging from 6.3% in 1993 to 28.9% in 2004. HIV infection was increasingly found in women over 30 years of age. Heterosexual contact (87.3%) was the most common route of HIV transmission. The majority (75.2%) of the women were asymptomatic. Women, compared to men, suffered more from respiratory and bacterial infections, often pneumonia, and from gender-specific manifestations like vaginal candidal infections. Following the introduction of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy in our hospital in 1999, only 8.5% of HIV-reactive women have received ARV treatment.ConclusionThere is a need for gender- and age-specific HIV surveillance among women, especially from areas of high prevalence. Our study shows that there are good reasons to be concerned about the effects of HIV in women. We stress the importance of increasing the focus of attention on the impact of this pandemic on women as we enter the 25th year since its emergence.