Haiti and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Authors: Jean-Robert Leonidas, Nicole Hyppolite
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1983)

Abroad1 June 1983Haiti and the Acquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeJEAN-ROBERT LEONIDAS, M.D., NICOLE HYPPOLITE, R.N., M.A.JEAN-ROBERT LEONIDAS, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, NICOLE HYPPOLITE, R.N., M.A.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-98-6-1020 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptHaitians represent about 5% of the total number of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Most of the cases in Haitians have been in persons allegedly heterosexual, not abusive of drugs, and previously healthy (1, 2). Do the Haitian cases offer a new avenue for scientific investigation? Are there factors that may predispose Haitians to infectious diseases in general and to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in particular? Such factors might include multiple previous infections; use of drugs; malnutrition; promiscuity; homosexuality; and, perhaps, voodoo.Haitians have a high incidence of infectious diseases. Their immune systems have to cope with the childhood infectious...References1. VIEIRA J, FRANK E, SPIRA T, and LANDESMAN S. Acquired immune deficiency in Haitians: opportunistic infections in previously healthy Haitian immigrants. N Engl J Med. 1983;308:125-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. . Opportunistic infections and Kaposi's sarcoma among Haitians in the United States. Morbid Mortal Weekly Rep. 1982;31:354-7, 360-1. Google Scholar3. PITCHENIK A, RUSSELL B, CLEARY T, PEJOVIC I, COLE C, and SNIDE D. The prevalence of tuberculosis and drug resistance among Haitians. N Engl J Med. 1982;307:162-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. BORDES A and COUTURE A. For the People for a Change: Bringing Health to the Families of Haiti. Boston: Beacon Press; 1978:36-7. Google Scholar5. KORKOK M. The Haitian and Cuban refugees: dealing with imported diseases. Can Med Assoc J. 1980;123:213-20. MedlineGoogle Scholar6. WASSERMAN J. The social and medical problems of Haitian refugees at the Brooklyn Detention Center. Bull de l'Association des medecins Haitiens a l'Etranger. XVI; 6:14-17. Google Scholar7. METRAUX A. Le Vodou Haitien. Paris, France: Gallimard; 1958:150-7. Google Scholar8. LEONIDAS J. Depression à la Haitien: a linguistic misinterpretation. NV State J Med. 1982;82:754-5. MedlineGoogle Scholar9. LEONIDAS J and HYPPOLITE N. West Indian patients: care in the United States: a challenge. NY State J Med. 1983;1:218-20. Google Scholar10. YEMO F. Le Kaposi Africain: a Propos de 6 Observations Inedites Relevees a Brazzaville. Bordeaux, France: Bergeret; 1974: These no. 63, pp 24-8. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: JEAN-ROBERT LEONIDAS, M.D.; NICOLE HYPPOLITE, R.N., M.A. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byResearch with Religious CommunitiesEpilogueAIDS — The First 20 YearsThe social classification of AIDS in American epidemiologyFear of AIDS: A Communication from Biologists to Psychologists/SociologistsCancer in Haiti 1979–84: Distribution of various forms of cancer according to geographical area and sexHôpital Albert Schweitzer and the Republic of HaitiTransfusion-associated AIDSImmune complexes in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS): Relationship to disease manifestation, risk group, and immunologic defectThe acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)The acquired immune deficiency syndrome: An international health problem of increasing importanceAcquired Immune Deficiency SyndromeHaiti and the aids connectionHaiti and the Acquired Immunodeficiency SyndromePETER MOSES, JOHN MOSES, M.D. 1 June 1983Volume 98, Issue 6Page: 1020-1021KeywordsAIDSDrugsHeterosexualsHomosexualityImmune systemInfectious diseasesMalnutritionPediatric infections ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 June 1983 PDF downloadLoading ...