Report of sexually transmitted diseases by HIV infected men during follow up: time to target the HIV infected?

• Published in: Sexually transmitted infections Vol. 76; no. 3; pp. 188 - 192
• Main Authors: Machekano, R N, Bassett, M T, Zhou, P S, Mbizvo, M T, Latif, A S, Katzenstein, D A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01-06-2000; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; Aged; AIDS; AIDS/HIV; Attitude to Health; Biological and medical sciences; Cohort Studies; Factories; Health risk assessment; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Original; Proportional Hazards Models; Sexual Behavior; Sexually transmitted diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - epidemiology; STD; Tropical medicine; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Zimbabwe; Zimbabwe - epidemiology; Zimbabwe; Africa; Human; Immunopathology; AIDS; Immune deficiency; Epidemiology; Genital diseases; Incidence; Infection; Concomitant disease; Sexually transmitted disease; Viral disease; Risk factor; Public health
• ISSN: 1368-4973; 1472-3263
• DOI: 10.1136/sti.76.3.188

Objectives: To compare the rate of self reported sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among HIV infected men with men who remained HIV negative during follow up of a Harare male factory cohort. Methods: Male factory workers were offered enrolment and behavioural data were collected at entry then every 6 months, along with HIV testing. Self report of STDs was used to calculate incidence per 100 person years. Cox proportional hazards models examined independent risk factors for STDs, with hazard ratios (HRs). Results: At entry 20% of men were HIV infected and 11% reported STDs in the previous year. A total of 2777 (82%) of 3383 men enrolled were followed at least once. Compared with men who remained HIV negative, seroconverters had the highest incidence of STDs (16.8 per 100 person years; IRR= 3.3, 95% CI=2.5–4.3); men enrolled HIV positive also reported higher STD incidence (14.5 per 100 person years, IRR=2.8; 95%CI 2.3–5.5). Among HIV positive men, the only independent risk factor for report of urethral discharge was history of multiple partners (HR=10, 95%CI 1.4–73.2). Conclusion: HIV positive men reported threefold higher incidence of STDs than HIV negative men, many related to high risk sexual behaviour.