Race/ethnicity and other risk of factors associated with cryptosporidiosis as an initial AIDS-defining condition in California, 1980–99

• Published in: Epidemiology and infection Vol. 127; no. 3; pp. 535 - 543
• Main Authors: KHALAKDINA, A., TABNAK, F., SUN, R. K. P., COLFORD, J. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.12.2001
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adolescent; Adult; African Americans; Age groups; Aged; AIDS; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections - epidemiology; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections - ethnology; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; California - epidemiology; Case-Control Studies; Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidiosis - epidemiology; Cryptosporidiosis - ethnology; Disease control; Drug use; Epidemiology; Ethnicity; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender; Heterosexuality; Hispanics; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Logistic Models; Logistic regression; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Population Surveillance; Predisposing factors; Protein hormones. Growth factors. Cytokines; Proteins; Public health; Race; Registries; Risk Factors; Sexual orientation; Substance Abuse, Intravenous; Surveillance; Variables; California; United States; North America; America; United States > US; San Francisco California; Human; Immunopathology; Protozoal disease; Use; Sex; Risk; AIDS; Parasitosis; Case control study; Injection; Risk analysis; Immune deficiency; Infection; Cryptosporidiosis; Case study; Logistic regression; Viral disease; Risk factor; Race; Stratification
• ISSN: 0950-2688; 1469-4409
• DOI: 10.1017/S0950268801006239

To study whether African-Americans are less likely than whites to present with cryptosporidiosis as an AIDS-defining condition (ADC), a case-control study was conducted using a large, population-based surveillance registry of AIDS patients in California. Data from January 1980 through June 1999 were analysed using risk factor stratification and multivariate logistic regression to evaluate confounding by other risk factors such as gender, injection drug use (IDU), CD4 counts, age and sexual orientation. Cases included 1373 subjects with cryptosporidiosis as an ADC and controls included 97419 subjects with other ADC. The results indicate a significantly lower risk for presentation with cryptosporidiosis as an ADC among African-Americans compared with whites (OR vs. whites = 0·5, 95% CI 0·4, 0·7). Additionally, there is evidence that heterosexuals are less likely than homosexual/bisexual males to present with cryptosporidiosis (OR = 0·5, 95% CI 0·4, 0·7). Our analyses also suggest a decreasing risk with increasing age. The possibility that there may be biologic factors or differential lifetime exposures that account for the difference between the racial/ethnic groups merits further investigation.