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Multicenter Study
. 2020 Oct 23;20(1):1606.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09702-5.

Characterization of HIV risks in a Brazilian sickle cell disease population

P F Blatyta  1   2 , S Kelly  3 , T T Goncalez  3 , A B Carneiro-Proietti  4 , T Salomon  4 , C Miranda  4 , E Sabino  5 , L Preiss  6 , C Maximo  7 , P Loureiro  8 , B Custer  3 , C de Almeida-Neto  9   10 ; NHLBI Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-III (REDS-III) International Component, Brazil
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Characterization of HIV risks in a Brazilian sickle cell disease population

P F Blatyta et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: A low prevalence of HIV in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients has been reported in the literature though mechanisms for this are not understood.

Methods: HIV risk behaviors were compared between SCD cases and non-SCD controls using a self-administered audio computer-assisted self-interview. SCD cases were recruited from a multi-center SCD cohort established in Brazil; controls were recruited from SCD social contacts. Categorical variables were analyzed using Chi-Square or Fisher exact test. Continuous variables were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test.

Results: There were 152 SCD cases and 154 age/location matched controls enrolled at three participating Brazilian centers during 2016-17. No significant differences in number of sexual partners (lifetime or previous 12 months), male-to-male sex partners or intravenous drug use were observed. Cases received more transfusions, surgeries, and acupuncture treatment.

Conclusions: Besides the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV, which is now exceedingly rare, SCD and non-SCD participants demonstrated similar HIV risk behaviors. Causes other than risk behaviors such as factors inherent to SCD pathophysiology may explain the reported low prevalence of HIV in SCD.

Keywords: HIV; HIV risk factors; Sickle cell disease; Transfusion transmitted infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

“The authors declare that they have no competing interests”.

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