Louie L, Desmond SD, Katongole-Mbidde E, Hellmann N, Tager I; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1992 Jul 19-24; 8: C300 (abstract no. PoC 4335).

Sch. Public Health, U. Calif., Berkeley.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) could be caused by a sexually transmitted agent. METHODS: Between May 1989 and August 1991, KS patients at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) in Kampala, Uganda were tested for HIV serostatus by Elisa and confirmed by Western blot. Demographic information, sexual histories, and histories of STD-related symptoms (genital ulcers, discharge) and behaviors (bleeding or bruising during sex or sex during menses; prior clinic visit for an STD problem; sexual promiscuity) were collected by standardized interview. Controls, matched by age and sex, were randomly selected from among 3906 STD patients seen at Old Mulago Hospital STD Clinic in Kampala during the same period of time. Similar information was collected for controls. KS cases were compared to STD controls by sex for risk factors associated with STDs and sexual promiscuity using univariate and multivariate logistic analyses. RESULTS: During the study period, 494 new KS cases were seen at UCI: 391 males (median age = 34, range = 14-92) and 103 females (median age = 27, range = 16-71). Univariate analyses showed that KS males were more likely than STD males to be HIV+ (80% vs 45%), to have sought clinical care for an STD problem (77% vs 59%), or to have had bleeding during sex (23% vs 15%). Among HIV- males, prior clinic visits for an STD problem remained more prevalent among KS cases. All other risk factors measured were more common among STD controls. Data for females were not analyzed, since only 7 KS females were HIV-. Multivariate analysis showed that HIV seropositivity was the greatest risk factor for KS [OR = 9.54, 95% CI (6.1, 14.9)], followed by prior clinic visits for an STD problem [OR = 3.12, 95% CI (1.97, 4.95)] and bleeding during sex [OR = 2.23, 95% CI (1.39, 3.56)]. CONCLUSIONS: Bleeding during sex could be caused by genital KS lesions. Self report of prior clinic visits for an STD problem does not validate that an STD occurred. Because STD controls were more likely to experience symptoms of STDs, and to have a higher level of promiscuity, these data do not support the hypothesis that KS among Ugandan males is caused by a sexually transmitted agent.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Ambulatory Care Facilities
• Case-Control Studies
• Female
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Humans
• Male
• Risk Factors
• Sarcoma, Kaposi
• Sexual Behavior
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Uganda

Other ID:

• 92402043

UI: 102199757

From Meeting Abstracts