Document 2162
 DOCN  M94A2162
 TI    Requests of serologic HIV tests in general practice and in hospital
       outpatient clinics.
 DT    9412
 AU    Vasco M; Pimpao V; Carvalho L; Lucas M; Sousa A; Victorino R; University
       Hospital of Santa Maria, Dept. of Medicine 2, Lisboa,; Portugal.
 SO    Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(1):367 (abstract no. PD0074). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94370413
 AB    OBJECTIVE: To describe the patterns of use of serologic HIV tests in
       general practice and in hospital outpatient clinics. METHODS:
       Cross-sectional study, lasting from 93/03/01 until 94/02/28. Eighty
       general practitioners (GP) and 59 hospital specialists (HS) agreed to
       participate. They were asked to complete a questionnaire for each
       request of HIV tests. RESULTS: By 31 December 1993, 43 GP and 15 HS had
       requested at least one HIV test. The total number of requests was 569
       (mean: GP = 12.5, HS = 2.1). Risk behaviors were classified as: homo or
       bisexuals 5% , drug addicts 14%, heterosexuals with multiple partners
       21% and with no identified risk behavior 60%. The initiative of the
       request came from clients in 24% of cases and from doctors in 75%. The
       motives of the request were: risk behavior 30%, symptoms suggesting HIV
       infection 4%, pregnancy 51% and others 15%. Twenty tests were ELISA
       positive and 17 were confirmed positive by Western-blot. The percentage
       of positive tests was 31% in homo/bisexuals, 11% in drug-addicts, 4% in
       heterosexuals with partners with risk behavior and 0.3% in cases with no
       identified risk behavior. Patients were: asymptomatics 12 cases, ARC 2
       cases, AIDS 3 cases. CONCLUSIONS: GPs tend to request HIV tests more
       frequently than HS. Pregnant women represent more than 50% of the
       requests. Seropositivity for HIV seems to be very low in people without
       identified risk behaviors, suggesting that routine serologic screening
       in pregnant women is not justified in this area.
 DE    AIDS Serodiagnosis/*UTILIZATION  Blotting, Western  Enzyme-Linked
       Immunosorbent Assay  *Family Practice  Female  Human  *Outpatient
       Clinics, Hospital  Pregnancy  Pregnancy Complications,
       Infectious/DIAGNOSIS  Risk Factors  MEETING ABSTRACT

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).