Document 2346
 DOCN  M94A2346
 TI    Estimation of the number of HIV seropositive patients known to general
       practitioners in France.
 DT    9412
 AU    Massari V; Valleron AJ; B3E-INSERM U263, Faculte de Medecine St Antoine,
       Paris, France.
 SO    Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(1):325 (abstract no. PC0233). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94370229
 AB    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the number of HIV+ patients recently diagnosed by
       the French general practitioners, the total number of HIV+ patients
       known to them, and those under their care. METHODS: The study is based
       on the French Communicable Diseases Network (FCDN) which links a
       representative 1% sample of general practitioners (GPs) who report
       epidemiological data to a central computer by electronic mail.
       Routinely, the GPs report any request for HIV testing of patients. In
       addition, in April 1988 and in October 1992 a specific mailed
       questionnaire was sent to each GP of the FCDN. The following questions
       were asked: number of HIV+ patients in their practice in 1992, number of
       HIV+ patients whom they treated for this infection, and number of
       subjects diagnosed HIV+ by them in the last 12 months. RESULTS: Amongst
       the 418 (91%) GPs who completed the questionnaire, 177 (42%) have at
       least one HIV+ patient in their practice, 120 (29%) treat at least one
       HIV+ patient, and 54 (13%) have diagnosed at least one HIV infected
       patient during the last 12 months. The mean number of HIV+ patients
       known per GP was equal to 1.8 which extrapolates to 88,000 patients
       nationally with a 95% confidence interval (C.I.) between 81,000 and
       95,000. The mean number of HIV+ patients treated by their GP was equal
       to 1.3 (55,000 nationally with a 95% C.I. between 49,000 and 60,000),
       and the mean number of recently diagnosed HIV+ patients was equal to 0.2
       per GP (11,000 nationally with a 95% C.I. between 10,000 and 12,000).
       CONCLUSION: Our estimate of the number of recently diagnosed HIV+
       patients shows a decrease from 1988 to 1992 (11,000 vs 30,000). As
       back-calculation provides estimates of a cumulative incidence of between
       90,000 and 160,000 cases of HIV infection up to the end of 1991, our
       results mean that by 1992 between half and all HIV+ patients knew their
       serological status.
 DE    Cross-Sectional Studies  Family Practice/*STATISTICS & NUMER DATA
       France/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Human  HIV Seropositivity/*EPIDEMIOLOGY  Incidence
       Population Surveillance  MEETING ABSTRACT

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