K Porter

Dr K Porter, MRC Clinical Trials Unit, London, UK; kp@ctu.mrc.ac.uk

QUESTIONS

What is the risk of death in HIV-infected people compared with the general population? Has this risk changed since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy?

METHODS

Design

inception cohort followed up for a median 6.3 years.

Setting

10 European countries, Australia, and Canada.

Patients

16 534 patients ⩾15 years of age at HIV seroconversion (median age 29 y, 78% men) who had well-estimated dates of seroconversion (within 18 mo) and exposure to HIV through injection drug use (18% of patients), sex between men (57%), or heterosexual sex (24%).

Prognostic factors

calendar period of follow-up (before 1996, 1996–7, 1998–9, 2000–1, 2002–3, and 2004–6), sex, age at seroconversion, and HIV exposure category.

Outcomes

mortality, excess mortality compared with the general uninfected population, and excess mortality in recent years compared with before 1996.

MAIN RESULTS

2571 HIV-infected …