1. More People with AIDS Die of "Common" Causes in 2004 than in 1999
Researchers found that of 68,669 New York City residents with AIDS who died between 1999 and 2004, 26.3 percent did not die of HIV-related causes (Article, p. 397). This figure is a 33 percent increase from 19.8 percent in 1999. The principal causes of death were cardiovascular disease, substance abuse, and cancer.
An editorial writer says that as better therapies enable people with HIV to live longer, they develop diseases related to age, particularly cardiovascular disease and cancers (Editorial, p. 463).
Both primary care physicians and HIV care specialists must remember to provide their HIV patients with prevention and screening, treatment and counseling for drug and tobacco abuse and sexually transmitted diseases, and treatment for chronic diseases.
2. In a New Survey, Men Call Themselves Straight but Have Sex with Men
A survey of 4,193 men living in New York City found that nearly 10 percent of all the male participants who identified themselves as straight reported having sex with at least one man during the previous year (Article, p. 416).
Compared to men who identified themselves as gay, these men were more likely to belong to a minority racial or ethnic group, be foreign-born, and have a low educational level. Seventy percent reported being married.
This group also was less likely to have been tested for HIV infection during the previous year and less likely to have used a condom during the last sexual encounter than men who identified themselves as gay.
This study is one of the largest U.S. population-based surveys to report on the contrast between a man's sexual identity and his actual sexual behaviors.
The authors say that "because men who have sex with men do not necesssarily identify as gay, prevention messages should focus on the activities that pose risk (for example, unp
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Contact: Susan Anderson
sanderson@acponline.org
215-351-2653
American College of Physicians
18-Sep-2006