Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (Jul 2017)

New Faces of HIV Infection: Age, Race, and Timing of Entry into HIV Care in the Southeastern United States

  • Peter Francis Rebeiro PhD, MHS,
  • Kelsey Sunderland Ivey MD,
  • Kaylin Smith Craig MD,
  • Todd Hulgan MD, MPH,
  • Moises Arturo Huaman MD, MSc,
  • Robertson Nash PhD, ACNP, MBA,
  • Stephen Raffanti MD, MPH,
  • Kehinde Amen Equakun NP, MSN,
  • Anna Kristine Person MD

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/2325957417710719
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16

Abstract

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Among younger men who have sex with men (MSM), the incidence of HIV is rising nationally. Of the 281 persons who entered into care at a large HIV clinic in the southeastern United States in 2010 to 2012, 78 (27.8%) were <25 years old at the time of diagnosis. Those in the younger group were more likely than those aged ≥25 to be black (59.0% versus 37.4%), MSM (78.2% versus 55.2%), and to have a longer median time from diagnosis to entry into care (71 versus 53 days; P < .05 each). In adjusted survival analysis, persons of black race were less likely to enter care after diagnosis than those of nonblack race (hazard ratio = 0.75, P = .02). Young MSM represent an important target population for prevention and HIV testing interventions, and there is a need to shorten the time from diagnosis to linkage to care, particularly in persons aged <25 and of black race.