Acute Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Patients Presenting to an Urban Urgent Care Center

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 37; no. 12; pp. 1699 - 1704
• Main Authors: Pincus, Jonathan M., Crosby, Sondra S., Losina, Elena, King, Erin R., LaBelle, Colleen, Freedberg, Kenneth A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 15.12.2003; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; AIDS; AIDS Serodiagnosis; Biological and medical sciences; Cohort Studies; Diseases; Female; Follow-Up Studies; HIV; HIV - genetics; HIV - immunology; HIV - isolation & purification; HIV Antibodies; HIV infections; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV/AIDS; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Internships; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Predisposing factors; Prevalence; Public health; RNA; RNA, Viral - analysis; Symptoms; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; RNA; Transmission; Check; Identification; Prevention; Diagnosis; Human; Immunopathology; Urban environment; False positive; Acute; Retroviridae; AIDS; Enzyme immunoassay; Immune deficiency; Lentivirus; Infection; Virus; Symptomatology; Chronic; Treatment; Viral disease; Risk factor; Early; Human immunodeficiency virus
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/379772

Acute infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is often accompanied by a flu-like illness, and early identification and treatment may help control the infection and prevent transmission. We enrolled patients who presented to an urban urgent care center with any symptoms of a viral illness and any recent potential risk for HIV infection, and we tested them for acute HIV infection using enzyme-linked immunosorbent and RNA assays. Of 499 patients enrolled over a 1-year period, acute HIV infection was diagnosed in 5 (1.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1%-1.9%), and chronic HIV infection was diagnosed in 6 (1.2%; 95% CI, 0.2%-2.2%). There were no false-positive results of the RNA assay. No signs or symptoms reliably distinguished patients with acute HIV infection from those who were HIV uninfected. Given the importance of this diagnosis, testing for acute HIV infection using RNA and antibody assays should be offered to all patients in similar settings with viral symptoms and any risk factors for HIV infection.