The Hispanic HIV Epidemic

Abstract

The Hispanic population in the U.S. has been dramatically affected by the HIV epidemic. The impact not only is related to the infection itself and its complications, but also is driven by social factors that lead to increased disparity in health-care access and cultural modeling and to increased social stigma, which leads to marginalization and exacerbates the existing gaps in medical care. Hispanics infected with HIV more frequently receive delayed diagnoses and more often present with AIDS, concomitant opportunistic infections, or coinfections related to their country of origin. The unique characteristics that define the HIV epidemic in Hispanics need further analysis in order to identify new opportunities to improve linkage to health care, increase efficacy in health-care provision, and decrease social disparities related to the Hispanic population.