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

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.