Risk factors for delayed HIV diagnosis at the hospital of tropical diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

The objective was to identify factors associated with delayed diagnosis of HIV infection in Vietnam, defined as having a CD4 cell count of <200/mm3 at the time of the first positive test. Data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of HIV-infected outpatients who received their initial care at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City between July 2004 and August 2005. Among the 204 included patients, 58.3% had a delayed diagnosis. Independent factors associated with a delayed diagnosis were male gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03–4.41) and having an opportunistic infection at the time of the first positive HIV test (AOR = 3.07; 95% CI = 1.71–5.53). Counselling for early HIV screening is important in populations at risk of infection. Facilitating access to care should be reinforced for symptomatic patients.