Natural history of HIV-1 infection and predictors of survival in a cohort of HIV-1 seropositive injecting drug users.

Injecting drug users represent a pivotal and increasing component of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) case reporting in the United States. This article describes the natural history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease in a New York City cohort of 328 HIV-infected injecting drug users. The study sample of nearly two-thirds men (predominately African Americans and Latino Americans) underwent follow-up from December 1988 through December 1993. Male injecting drug users reported a longer injecting drug use history and were more likely to share needles/works than female injecting drug users. Eighty-nine of 328 study subjects died during the 5 years of observation. Comparing African Americans and Latinos, race/ethnicity was not related to survival. Survival was related to baseline CD4 count and hemoglobin level. Zidovudine use and PCP prophylaxis did not predict survival. Because of the continuing and increasing impact of HIV disease on injecting drug users and communities of color, there remains an unquestionable need to develop effective prevention programs, to understand the natural history of HIV disease, and to develop appropriate therapeutic interventions to treat those with HIV disease.