Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 1998;20(3):151-154
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72031998000300005
A retrospective study examining medical records of female prostitutes attending the STD/AIDS Reference Center in Vitória, Brazil from January/93 to December/96 was conducted. During this period, 180 women received medical and psychological care in this clinic. Mean age was 25.9 year (SD=6.8). Out of 180, 140 agreed to be tested for HIV, of whom 12 (8.6%) had a positive result. Among 157 women who agreed to be tested for syphilis, 144 (91.7%) had a negative result, while 13 (8.3%) had a positive one. According to the educational degree, 6 (3.3%) women were illiterate, 114 (63.3%) attended elementary school, 37 (20.6%) attended secondary school, 7 (3.9%) went to college and 16 gave no information. One hundred and forty-one patients (78.3%) were single, 17 (9.4%) married, 10 (5,5%) divorced and 4 (2.2%) widows. The frequency of condom use was: always, 56 (31.3%), sometimes, 93 (52.0%), and 30 (16.8%) never used condoms. Other STDs were reported by 89 (49.4%) women and 9 (5.0%) reported intravenous (IV) drug use. There was a significant difference between the HIV positive and the negative group only regarding IV drug abuse (p=0.031) and syphilis infection (p=0.014). The present study showed prevalence rates of HIV infection among prostitutes in Vitória much higher than those found in the general population. There is a pressing need to improve medical assistance and educational campaigns especially designed to reach this population of women, and focusing the importance of regular condom use and the risks associated with IV drug abuse.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 1999;21(9):539-544
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72031999000900007
Purpose: some medical institutions have been prophylactically ministrating anti-HIV therapy in cases of sexual violence, although there are no appropriate basic facts to establish its efficacy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the acceptance, tolerance and adhesion of these women under a chemoprophylaxis plan for HIV. Methods: sixty-two women victims of rape and/or anal intercourse with unknown aggressors have been evaluated. Prophylaxis has been started within the first 48 h after violence and maintained for 4 weeks, with daily administration of zidovudine, 600 mg; indinavir, 2,400 mg and lamivudine, 300 mg. Results: the discontinuance rate was 24.2%, withe 12 cases (80%) due to gastric intolerance. The side effects were present in 43 cases (69.4%), including nausea and vomitting as the most frequent. Complex dosage and time of administration were factors possibly related to the inadequate use of the drugs in 10.6% of the cases. Conclusion: the authors concluded that the chemoprophylaxis discontinuance rate was similar to that observed in other indications.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2002;24(5):315-320
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032002000500005
Purpose: to study the association between the evaluation or not of the male partner and relapses in women treated for HPV lesions. Methods: a reconstituted cohort study with 144 women with HPV lesions and whose partners had been evaluated, compared with 288 women whose partners had not been examined, controlled regarding date of attendance, age, lesion degree and treatment, attended between July 1993 and March 2000. We evaluated similarity between the groups, the association between the evaluation or not of the partners or the diagnosis of lesions with the occurrence and relapse lesion degree in the women and the disease-free interval (DFI). Results: the groups were similar regarding the control variables. Relapses occurred in 9.0 % of the women whose partners had been evaluated and in 5.9% of those whose partners had not been evaluated (p=0.23). When lesions were diagnosed in the men, 12.5% of their partners had relapses, against 7.3% of the women whose partners had no lesions (p=0.23), but there was no correlation with the relapse lesion degree and DFI. When the men reported a time of monogamous conjugal relationship <12 months, we observed 14.9% relapses in women, against 6.2% for the women whose partners reported a longer time (p=0.08). Conclusions: evaluation of the man did not decrease the relapse risk of HPV lesions in his partner. The presence of lesions in the male partners did not correlate with the occurrence and relapse degree in women and DFI. This study does not support the hypothesis that nonevaluated men would be an important cause of relapses in their partners.