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HIV-Infected Population With Little or No Outpatient Medical Care Are Mostly Minorities, the Poor and Substance Abusers
October 24, 2006 -- In a first-of-its-kind study, UCLA researchers have shown that segments of the HIV-infected population who have little to no consistent outpatient medical care - and yet are most in need of such services - are overwhelmingly minorities, the poor and substance abusers.
Previous studies had shown minorities, the poor and substance users who were receiving routine medical care for the HIV infection, and whose data could therefore be easily captured in healthcare studies, were likelier to be medically underserved and to die more quickly. But Dr. William Cunningham, and the study's lead author, said UCLA researchers tracked HIV-infected people who were not receiving regular care - and thus more difficult to find. Often this segment showed up in the medical system in emergency situations.
Read the full article on the UCLA Web site.
This study is published in the November issue of the journal "Medical Care". Read the abstract.