Risk factors for HIV infection among special treatment clinic attendees in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Control of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is an important factor in the prevention of sexual transmission of HIV infection. Despite a close link between the two disease entities, not enough data are however available on risk factors for HIV infection among STI clinic patients in Nigeria. This information is important for planning preventive measures. All consenting patients that attended special treatment clinic (STC), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan from March to November 2001 were enrolled into the study. Using a structured interview assisted questionnaire, information on socio-demographic characteristics, sexual and reproductive history and other potential risk factors for HIV infection were obtained. Urethral swab, endocervical swab and high vaginal swab were also obtained and processed by standard laboratory methods. HIV tests were carried out by double ELISA tests. Of the 210 subjects, 180 (85.7%) were diagnosed as having STI while 46 (21.9%) screened positive for HIV. Co-infection was found in 41(19.5%) of all subjects. The risk of HIV was higher in subjects with STIs. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that subjects who were not infected with gonorrhoea (OR = 0.685, 95% CI = 0.47- 0.99, p = 0.045) and those with negative history of blood transfusion (OR= 0.1,95% CI = 0.02-0.5, p=0.009) were less at risk of HIV infection while those with lower occupation had a higher risk (OR = 1.126,95% CI = 0.32-3.9, p = 0.085). The results of this study emphasize the need for adequate management of STIs and the importance of upgrading blood transfusion services in order to curtail the spread of HIV infection.