A Retrospective Cohort Study of Women and Men Living with HIV, Attending an HIV Clinic in Australia
Objectives: To compare women with men presenting with HIV to a public health HIV clinic, to identify the special characteristics and health care needs of women living with HIV in the Barwon South West region in Victoria. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 35 women and 135 men living with HIV w...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Mary Ann Liebert
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Women's Health Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/WHR.2022.0038 |
| _version_ | 1797345820042854400 |
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| author | Rochelle A. Hamilton Yvonne Wells Peter Higgs |
| author_facet | Rochelle A. Hamilton Yvonne Wells Peter Higgs |
| author_sort | Rochelle A. Hamilton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: To compare women with men presenting with HIV to a public health HIV clinic, to identify the special characteristics and health care needs of women living with HIV in the Barwon South West region in Victoria.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 35 women and 135 men living with HIV who attended the clinic between 2009 and 2020. Gender differences were assessed using nonparametric analyses.
Results: The women were diagnosed with HIV younger than the men (mean 29.5 years vs. 36.7 years) and more were born in Africa (28.6% vs. 5.2%). More men than women presented with sexually transmittable infections (38.5% vs. 14.3%) at the time of diagnosis, and were diagnosed through a sexual health screen (37% vs. 17%). The proportions of men and women who used alcohol and other drugs (recent to their diagnosis) were similar (68.1% vs. 48.6%), and there was no difference in proportions presenting with AIDS-defining illnesses (p?=?0.425), or CD4 cell count (advanced: ?200 cells, relatively well: ?201 cells, p?=?0.241), but the women had a lower viral load (p?<?0.001).
Conclusions: In this study of 170 people living with HIV, nearly one-half of the men with known HIV history were diagnosed through sexual health screens, but women's HIV was mostly detected through targeted screening. Results highlight gender disparity in access to sexual health screening and assessment, including low awareness of sexual health risks for women, and endorse the view that HIV is a heterosexual sexually transmittable infection in women. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:23:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f03655ff9a0340caab7e842daf6861dc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2688-4844 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:23:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Mary Ann Liebert |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Women's Health Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-f03655ff9a0340caab7e842daf6861dc2024-01-26T05:49:06ZengMary Ann LiebertWomen's Health Reports2688-48442022-11-013191592310.1089/WHR.2022.0038A Retrospective Cohort Study of Women and Men Living with HIV, Attending an HIV Clinic in AustraliaRochelle A. HamiltonYvonne WellsPeter HiggsObjectives: To compare women with men presenting with HIV to a public health HIV clinic, to identify the special characteristics and health care needs of women living with HIV in the Barwon South West region in Victoria. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 35 women and 135 men living with HIV who attended the clinic between 2009 and 2020. Gender differences were assessed using nonparametric analyses. Results: The women were diagnosed with HIV younger than the men (mean 29.5 years vs. 36.7 years) and more were born in Africa (28.6% vs. 5.2%). More men than women presented with sexually transmittable infections (38.5% vs. 14.3%) at the time of diagnosis, and were diagnosed through a sexual health screen (37% vs. 17%). The proportions of men and women who used alcohol and other drugs (recent to their diagnosis) were similar (68.1% vs. 48.6%), and there was no difference in proportions presenting with AIDS-defining illnesses (p?=?0.425), or CD4 cell count (advanced: ?200 cells, relatively well: ?201 cells, p?=?0.241), but the women had a lower viral load (p?<?0.001). Conclusions: In this study of 170 people living with HIV, nearly one-half of the men with known HIV history were diagnosed through sexual health screens, but women's HIV was mostly detected through targeted screening. Results highlight gender disparity in access to sexual health screening and assessment, including low awareness of sexual health risks for women, and endorse the view that HIV is a heterosexual sexually transmittable infection in women.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/WHR.2022.0038gender differencesHIVsexual healthsexual riskwomen's health |
| spellingShingle | Rochelle A. Hamilton Yvonne Wells Peter Higgs A Retrospective Cohort Study of Women and Men Living with HIV, Attending an HIV Clinic in Australia Women's Health Reports gender differences HIV sexual health sexual risk women's health |
| title | A Retrospective Cohort Study of Women and Men Living with HIV, Attending an HIV Clinic in Australia |
| title_full | A Retrospective Cohort Study of Women and Men Living with HIV, Attending an HIV Clinic in Australia |
| title_fullStr | A Retrospective Cohort Study of Women and Men Living with HIV, Attending an HIV Clinic in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Retrospective Cohort Study of Women and Men Living with HIV, Attending an HIV Clinic in Australia |
| title_short | A Retrospective Cohort Study of Women and Men Living with HIV, Attending an HIV Clinic in Australia |
| title_sort | retrospective cohort study of women and men living with hiv attending an hiv clinic in australia |
| topic | gender differences HIV sexual health sexual risk women's health |
| url | https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/WHR.2022.0038 |
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