Demographics of HIV-1 infection in Denmark: Results from the Danish HIV Cohort Study

Authors:
  • AHAnn-Brit Eg Hansen
    Ann-Brit Eg Hansen
  • SJSøren Jensen-Fangel
    Søren Jensen-Fangel
  • GKGitte Kronborg
    Gitte Kronborg
  • BKBirgit Kvinesdal
    Birgit Kvinesdal
  • CPCourt Pedersen
    Court Pedersen
  • CLCarsten S. Larsen
    Carsten S. Larsen
  • AMAxel Møller
    Axel Møller
  • LWLars Willumsen
    Lars Willumsen
  • NONiels Obel
    Niels Obel
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Abstract
We used a population-based cohort study design to describe the demographic characteristics of the HIV-infected population in Denmark and their variation over time. HIV treatment in Denmark is restricted to 9 centres, and all 3941 HIV-1 infected patients more than 15 y old seen at these centres in 1995-2003 were included. We found an estimated HIV prevalence of 70 per 100,000, and a mean annual incidence rate of 5.1 per 100,000 persons. The number of newly infected individuals was stable with a median of 231 per y (period 1995-2002), whereas the number of deaths decreased from 166 in 1995 to 50 in 2000 (p=0.000) and remained stable thereafter. Of the enrolled patients, 75% were males, 80% were Caucasian, 13% were black African, and the primary risk behaviour was male-to-male sexual contact (44%), heterosexual contact (36%), and injection drug use (11%). During the y 1995-2003 we found an increase in age at diagnosis (p=0.000), and no major changes in gender, race, mode of infection, or baseline CD4+ cell count and viral load, neither overall not within subgroups of patients. In this period 14.5% had AIDS at the time of HIV diagnosis. Our data do not confirm concerns about unmonitored evolution in the HIV epidemic in Denmark.

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