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Case 6: African Americans with HIV: Epidemiology and Risk Factors

Authors: Terrilyne Cole, MD, MBA
David H. Spach, MD

Case last updated: July 27, 2007

A 27-year-old African-American woman is referred to the HIV clinic after testing positive for HIV at a sexually transmitted diseases clinic. She has no HIV-related symptoms. Initial laboratory studies show a CD4 count of 526 cells/mm3 and HIV RNA 58,930 copies/ml. Her only risk factor for HIV acquisition is heterosexual sex.

Which one of the following statements is TRUE regarding African Americans and HIV in the United States?

A This African-American woman is unusual in that most African-American women in the United States have injection-drug use as their risk factor for acquiring HIV.
B For African-American males in the United States, heterosexual sex is the most common risk factor for acquiring HIV.
C In the United States in year 2005, the number of deaths in persons with AIDS was greater in whites than in African-Americans.
D In the years 2001-2005, more new cases of HIV (with or without AIDS) were reported in African Americans than any other racial/ethnic population.