Background and Aim: Unfortunately, AIDS has high morbidity and mortality due to its easy transmission, secrecy, severe complications, and no definitive treatment. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of
HIV in Qom Province, Iran.
Materials and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was performed on patients with AIDS referred to the Behavioral Diseases Counseling Clinic in Qom Province from its opening until the first half of ۲۰۱۹. Sampling was done by census and reviewing all registered files in this clinic. The inclusion criteria were completed files of all patients. However, records of patients who were incomplete or had other sexually transmitted diseases and neurological disorders were excluded from the study. After data collection, the files were entered in SPSS software, version ۲۲.
Results: A total of ۶۱۲ patients were studied in this study. The mean age of the patients was ۳۶.۶۳±۹.۴۱ (±SD) years. Also, ۵۲۳ patients were males (۸۵.۵%), and ۸۹ were females (۱۴.۵%). The numbers (percentages) of single, divorced, and widows people were ۲۱۷ (۳۹.۶%), ۸۹ (۱۶.۲%), and ۱۲ (۲.۲%), respectively. Most people (۲۲۱ people, ۴۲.۵%) had primary education, and only ۳ (۰.۶%) had a bachelor’s degree. Most of them lived in urban areas (۵۰۱, ۹۷.۹%) and were unemployed (۳۲۳, ۵۸.۷%). Also, ۴۰۳ (۸۳.۴%) had a history of addiction, ۳۹۲ (۹۵.۷%) were injecting drug users, ۳۴۵ (۹۵%) had a history of injection among injecting drug users, ۲۷۷ (۶۶.۱%) had extramarital sex, ۲۴۵ (۹۶.۱%) had several sexual intercourses, ۲۶ (۱۰.۴%) used condom, and ۱۸ patients (۷.۸%) had an infected child. The number of HIV-infected people in Qom until ۲۰۱۲ was about ۴۷۷ people, which comprised ۰.۰۴۱% of the province’s population (۱۱۵۱۶۷۲ people the population of this province according to the ۲۰۱۱ census registered in the Statistics Center of Iran).
Conclusion: According to the study findings and the national statistics regarding the change of the primary method of transmission from injection to sex from ۱۹۹۷ to ۲۰۱۳ in Qom Province, we can conclude that Qom Province is also moving towards changing the main method of transmission from drug injection to sexual transmission.