rome and AIDS-Related-Complex

In Italy, care for people with AIDS (PWA) is centred on hospital services. However, other services are beginning to develop, both in the form of residential facilities and of home care. It seems, therefore, important to define the type of non-hospital services that should be supplied on the basis of AIDS patients' real needs. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the definition of care requirements by administration to 92 persons with ARC/AIDS of a questionnaire on Functional Multidimensional Evaluation to assess the demand for services in relation to the state of health and socio-economic situation of those interviewed. The pattern that emerged was one of severe socio-economic difficulties (most of the patients were drug addicts) and of major functional impairment (about 60% of those interviewed were not self-sufficient as far as Instrumental Activities of Daily Living were concerned). Among the main problems: difficulties of finding accommodation (almost 9% of those interviewed have no fixed abode) and economic difficulties; the demand for services was characterized by a lack of self-sufficiency. The most frequently required social services were help with preparation of meals, household chores and assistance with transport; the most frequently required health service was physiotherapy, which is also the least available. The study supplies useful information for the planning of non-hospital services in Italy and in other western countries with similar epidemiological situations.

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Activities of Daily Living; Adult; AIDS-Related Complex; Female; Health Resources; Health Services Needs and Demand; HIV Seroprevalence; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Admission; Rome; Socioeconomic Factors; Urban Health

A chronic coinfection with CMV, EBV etc. has been described in patients with HIV infection; recently a coinfection with other retroviruses has been described too. We have looked for the presence of antibodies to HTLV-I (anti HTLV-I) and to HIV-2 (anti HIV-2) in 135 HIV infected (HIV-positive) subjects living in Rome. They were 100 i.v. drug addicts, 24 homo/bisexuals, 4 partners of HIV-positive patients, 5 polytransfused and 2 without any known risk factor; 32 of them had a full-blown AIDS, 52 had ARC and 51 were symptom-free. Anti HIV, anti HTLV-I and anti HIV-2 were detected with ELISA method and confirmed by Western Blot (W.B.) technique. Antibodies to HTLV-I were found in 14 cases (10.4%) and antibodies to HIV-2 in 12 cases (8.9%). The contemporary presence of anti HIV, anti HTLV-I and anti HIV-2 was not found in any subjects. Our data fail to show a clear relationship among the coinfection with different retroviruses and the various risk factors for HIV infection and the HIV-related clinical picture (AIDS, ARC, etc.).

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; AIDS-Related Complex; Cross-Sectional Studies; Deltaretrovirus Antibodies; Deltaretrovirus Infections; Female; HIV Antibodies; HIV Infections; HIV-1; HIV-2; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Risk Factors; Rome