Cofactor infections and HIV epidemics in developing countries: implications for treatment.

This article shows that the burden of certain tropical disease infections, after controlling for other factors, is positively correlated with HIV prevalence. Using cross-national data and multivariate linear regression analysis, we investigate the determinants of HIV prevalence in low- and middle-income countries. We begin with social and economic variables used in other cross-national studies and then incorporate data on parasitic and infectious diseases endemic in poor populations, which are found to be strongly and significantly correlated with--and are potent predictors of--HIV prevalence. The paper concludes by arguing that treating tropical diseases may be a cost-effective add-on to HIV-prevention and -treatment programs, thus slowing the spread of HIV in disease-burdened populations.