[AIDS and HIV infection among homosexual and bisexual men in Belem Para Brazil 1988-1990]

Blood samples were collected by means of the vacuum system without the use of anticoagulants from patients residing in the city of Belem Para State Brazil. The AIDS Information Units (URE-AIDS) of the Secretariat of Health of Para State of hospitals or of the Evandro Chagas Institute were searched in order to carry out serological examinations for the detection of antibodies to HIV. The records of patients whose sera proved to be positive were investigated in the URE-AIDS and in the Hospital Jo o de Barros Barreto with the objective of learning about the clinical condition of the patient at the time of serological diagnosis in December 1991. The patients were grouped together according to age and risk behavior (homosexual or bisexual). All sera were examined by the ELISA test and the test of indirect immunofluorescence for confirmation. Whenever these tests were contradictory the Western Blot test was applied. 307 sera were tested: 149 sera of male homosexuals and 158 sera of male bisexuals. Of the total 68 samples were positive for HIV which were classified according to the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the 68 HIV-positive patients 24 were asymptomatic 23 presented various symptoms but could not be classified either as being asymptomatic or having AIDS related complex (ARC) and 13 were classified as having ARC while 8 had AIDS. The 44 patients with symptoms had the following manifestations in descending order of frequency: weight loss diarrhea fever and alopecia. Data of the 3 years combined indicated that the number of positive cases predominated in the 20-29 age group and the infection was directly proportional to age. The AIDS patients had the following major infections: candidiasis (17.6%) pulmonary tuberculoses (11.3%) and toxoplasmoses (7.3%). One case of recidivistic cryptococcosis meningitis and 1 case of Kaposi sarcoma also occurred.