Schwarcz reported the findings on July 13 at the XIII International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa. Researchers analyzed survival trends over time in the first group of patients and looked at how various forms of treatment affected the risk of death in the latter group. Because San Francisco was one of the first AIDS epidemic centers in North America, disease trends have often been observed first in the city, said Schwarcz. The DPH AIDS Surveillance Registry includes detailed follow-up information on treatment and treatment outcomes, said Schwarcz. Working with this registry, researchers have access to information on the dates and types of AIDS-defining opportunistic illnesses, CD4 test results, and the types and starting dates of antiretroviral therapy and prophylactic medications.
Information is collected on patients at the time of diagnosis and is updated annually.
They found that survival increased by both measures in the three-year study period. The researchers also found that use of antiretroviral therapy reduced the risk of death, particularly if it included a protease inhibitor. The study also determined that the risk of death was increased for persons aged 40 or greater at the time of AIDS diagnosis, for those whose initial AIDS diagnosis included an opportunistic illness, and for both homosexual and heterosexual injection drug users. The risk of death was lower for persons with higher CD4 cell counts at diagnosis.