Delayed access to HIV diagnosis and care: Special concerns for the Southern United States.

HIV diagnosis and presentation to appropriate medical care during early stages of disease has substantial clinical and public health benefits. However, a large proportion of HIV-infected Americans experience diagnosis and treatment related delays. Prior research evaluating barriers to early HIV diagnosis and care presentation have been published primarily from large East and West coast urban centers.

Factors associated with delayed initiation of HIV medical care among infected persons attending a southern HIV/AIDS clinic.

Background: Despite the proven benefits conferred by early human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis and presentation to care, delays in HIV medical care are common; these delays are not fully understood, especially in the southern United States.

Methods: We evaluated the extent of, and characteristics associated with, delayed presentation to HIV care among 1,209 patients at an HIV/AIDS Outpatient Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama between 1996 and 2005.

Results: Two out of five (41.

Factors associated with chronic renal failure in HIV-infected ambulatory patients.

Objective: Renal disease is an increasingly common manifestation among HIV-positive persons, particularly during late stages of HIV disease. We performed a cohort-based, nested case-control study to examine the role of several factors in developing HIV-related chronic renal disease, including HIV viral load and CD4+ cell count.

Design: Incident cases of chronic renal disease were identified from a cohort of 6361 prospectively followed HIV-1 positive persons.

Test-retest reliability of a complex human immunodeficiency virus research questionnaire administered by an Audio Computer-assisted Self-interviewing system.

Objectives: To evaluate the test-retest reliability of a complex questionnaire administered by Audio Computer-assisted Self-interviewing to recently diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients.

Methods: Thirty-seven English-speaking and 32 Spanish-speaking participants completed both test and retest interviews. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) and kappa (kappa) and weighted kappa (kappa) statistics were obtained for individual questions.