[HIV infection declines among intravenous drug addicts in Barcelona: 1987-1993].

BACKGROUND: The evolution of the prevalence of HIV infection in intravenous drug addicts who initiate hospital detoxication was analyzed. METHODS: Six hundred fifty intravenous drug addicts (535 males, 115 females) were analyzed for HIV and surveyed in regard to demographic variables and the use of drugs over a period of 7 years (1987-1993): age, sex, year of initiation of intravenous drug addiction, length of the habit and year of admission. RESULTS: Most of the subjects were men (82%) with a mean age of 19.7 years at the time of initiation to the use of i.v. drugs and an age of 25.9 years on admission to the unit. The mean time of i.v. drug addiction at admission was 74 months. The characteristics of the patients according to the year of admission were homogeneous in regard to age, length of drug addiction and male/female ratio. More than 50% of the subjects had initiated the use of i.v. drugs during the first half of the last decade. The global prevalence of HIV infection was of 66.3% with no differences being observed between sexes. The frequency of infection was shown to have globally decreased from 1987 to 1993 (p = 0.06) although the rates of HIV infection in women did not significantly modify (p = 0.08) in contrast to that of men (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The epidemia of HIV infection in intravenous drug addicts may have entered into remission following a decade characterized by a spread in the use of heroin and great diffusion of the disease.