A sex comparison of rates of new AIDS-defining disease and death in 2554 AIDS cases. AIDS in Europe Study Group.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the development rate of new AIDS-defining diseases between 566 women and 1988 men with AIDS who were infected with HIV via the same routes (mainly by sharing drug injecting equipment and heterosexual sex).

DESIGN

Information on patient follow-up after AIDS diagnosis was obtained by retrospectively reviewing case notes.

METHODS

The 2554 men and women were followed from the time of AIDS diagnosis as part of the multicentre AIDS in Europe study, which examined AIDS cases diagnosed at 52 centres in 17 European countries between 1979 and 1989. Incidence of AIDS-defining diseases and demographic variables were recorded for all patients and CD4 lymphocyte count at the time of AIDS diagnosis for approximately half the patients.

RESULTS

Only toxoplasmosis and herpes simplex virus ulceration showed statistically significant differences in occurrence rate between women and men [relative risks (RR), 1.51 and 3.44; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.51 1.09-2.08 and 3.44 1.92-6.23, respectively] which remained after adjusting for imbalances in other variables. For both diseases, the additional absolute rate in women was approximately three per 100 person-years at risk. Survival after AIDS diagnosis was also similar between the two sexes (RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.86-1.08).

CONCLUSION

There appears to be little difference between women and men in the clinical course of AIDS.