<b>Living with aids: profile of hiv/aids patients in northwestern Paraná, 1989-2005</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v32i1.773

Abstract

Living with aids: profile of hiv/aids patients in northwestern Paraná, 1989-2005. Over the last 27 years of the AIDS epidemic, crucial changes have taken place in the trends of HIV transmission and in the disease’s epidemiological profile. This study analyzed the profiles of people enrolled in the STD/AIDS Control Program of a regional health division in the state of Paraná, Brazil, between 1989 and 2005. Data were collected from the regional database of the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAWN), at the Epidemiology Sector of the 14^th Regional Health Division. The studied variables were: patient gender, age, occupation and city of residence; how the disease was transmitted, date of diagnosis and notification; and date of death. During the study period, 241 AIDS cases were diagnosed in the region, with a 53% concentration in the county seat; however, in six towns in the region, there were no notifications in the 17 years of the study, which can mean a real absence of cases or sub-notification/exportation of cases. The cases occurred primarily in men, between the ages of 25 and 49, through sexual transmission. However, in the period between 2001 and 2005, an increase was observed in the number of infected women, with a 1.6 male:female ratio; also, there was an increase in heterosexual transmission, affecting homemakers and self-employed individuals. The study detected an expressive number of cases with epidemiological notification of diseases resulting from AIDS on the date of diagnosis or soon thereafter, suggesting the late identification of the disease on individuals who were already in the terminal stages of the disease.