Ethnic and racial differences in long-term survival from hospitalization for HIV infection.

Overview

This prospective cohort study compares 200 hospitalized, HIV-infected patients (Hispanic, African American, and white) from May 1992 to October 1998 to assess mortality (versus survival) over 75 months of follow-up. The relative risk of six-year mortality for each ethnic group is compared using Cox proportional hazards models after controlling for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, access to general medical care, and HIV-specific treatment. The median survival of Hispanics (15.5 months) was significantly (p < 0.05) shorter than that of whites (23.8); survival for African Americans (35.1) did not differ from whites. In multivariate analysis, the adjusted relative risk of six-year mortality for Hispanics compared with whites was 2.14 (95 percent confidence interval = 1.26-3.66). The poor outcomes of Hispanics was not explained by access to general care or by HIV-specific treatment.