Prevalence of HIV Infection among Individuals Referred to Consult Center of Behavior Diseases, West Health Center in Tehran, Iran

Background: Rapid test and conventional ELISA are common immunological assays used for the detection of HIV infection. In this study,we evaluated the prevalence rate of HIV infection by rapid test used for screening HIV infection and then confirmed the positive cases withELISA and western blot tests.Materials and Methods: In this analytical descriptive study, 1964 out of 6923 patients who were referred to the Consult Center of BehaviorDiseases, West Health Center (Valfajr Clinic), Iran University of Medical Sciences were subjected to rapid test for screening HIV infectionfrom July 2012 to September 2014.Results: Thirty seven out of 1964(1.88%) cases were confirmed as positive by rapid HIV test. All of the positive cases confirmed by rapidtest were also confirmed as positive by ELISA and western blot tests. According to the data analysis of this study, among people diagnosed asHIV positive using rapid test, 12(32.4%) cases had unsafe heterosexual contact, followed by 10 (27%) cases of IDUs with a history of prison,shared injection, and unsafe heterosexual contact.Conclusion: The use of rapid test as a screening test for diagnosing HIV infection and the confirmation of all the positive and suspectednegative cases by the ELISA test or western blot is recommended.

Keywords:

Prevalence , HIV , Rapid test , IR Iran