Aids in the population over 50 years old in Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Some factors have contributed to HIV transmission in older ages. Among these factors, the increase of the mean life expectancy allied to habit changes is emphasized, with the more active participation of older ages in society. In the scope of the Rio Grande do Sul state, the distribution of these cases is unknown. Under this perspective, the objective of this study was to evaluate the temporal tendency of AIDS among 50 or more years old individuals in Rio Grande do Sul in the period from 1998 to 2008. A descriptive study of the AIDS tendency from cases recorded in the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação/RS (Sinan) (Information System for Notifiable Diseases) and provided by the State Health Secretary (SHS), DST/Aids Program and imported to SPSS v.15., was accomplished, by considering the socio-demographic variables and those related to AIDS, evaluated with descriptive and inferential statistics. In order to verify the association between the variables, the qui-square or the Fisher’s exact test was used at a significance level of 5%. 3529 individuals over 50 years old, residents in Rio Grande do Sul in the period from 1998 to 2008 participated in the study. From which 61.7% are male, and 38.3% female individuals. The aging group of both genders which was more affected was the one aging between 50 and 59 years old (62.1%). The exposure category which was more affected is the heterosexual (73.3%), followed by the homosexual category (11.8%). The knowledge of the aids tendency in the population over 50 years old in RS has the potential of making health professionals aware of the need for implementing actions and public policies directed to the prevention and control of HIV transmission in this population. Key-words: Aids. Incidence. Population Group.