AIDS trends among Hispanics in the United States

Abstract

Objectives: In 1991 the incidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States was 31.6 per 100,000 population among Hispanics and 11.8 per 100,000 among non-Hispanic Whites. The purpose of this study was to further describe the AIDS epidemic among Hispanics by examining differences in risk factors among different Hispanic groups (as defined by birthplace).

Methods: AIDS cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1988 through 1991 were reviewed.

Results: For men, except for those born in Puerto Rico, the predominant exposure category was male-male sex. The proportion of cases due to injection drug use was 35% among Hispanic men born in the United States, 27% among men born in the Dominican Republic, and 61% among men born in Puerto Rico, but < 10% among other Hispanic men and non-Hispanic White men. For women the predominant exposure category was injection drug use among Hispanics born in the United States (56%) and Puerto Rico (46%) and among non-Hispanic Whites (42%). The proportion of cases associated with injection drug use was significantly lower (< 30%) among other Hispanic women.

Conclusions: AIDS prevention strategies must be geared toward different exposure categories among different Hispanic groups.