Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus infection in foreigners residing in Elche, Spain (1998-2003)

BACKGROUND. To determine the characteristics of HIV-infection in foreign patients residing in Elche, Spain. METHOD. A retrospective comparative analysis of clinical and epidemiological characteristics was performed to study HIV-infection in foreign immigrants, foreigners who were not immigrants and the native Spanish population between January 1998 and December 2003. RESULTS. Among the 659 patients attended, 30 (4.6%) were foreign immigrants and 11 (1.7%) foreign non-immigrants. The percentage of affected immigrants increased during the study period from 1.6% to 9.8% (p < 0.001). There was a higher percentage of women in the immigrant group (36.7%) than in the foreign non-immigrant (27.3%) and native (18.4%) groups (p = 0.04). Mean age of the immigrants was lower than that of the foreign non-immigrants and native population (p = 0.02). Sexual transmission as a risk factor for acquiring HIV infection was higher in the immigrant (80%) group than in the foreign non-immigrant (27.3%) and native populations (14.7%), (p = 0.005). Antiretroviral treatment and mortality were similar in immigrant and non-immigrant patients. CONCLUSIONS. The epidemiology of HIV infection in foreign patients was different from that observed in the native population, but access to antiretroviral treatment and mortality were similar.