The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #43581

Abdel Rahman Ibrahim, PhD¹, John Ryan, MS¹, and Maria L. Baron, MAS². (1) New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services., P O Box 363, 50 East State Street, Trenton, NJ 08625, (609) 984-5940, Abdel.ibrahim@doh.state.nj.us, (2) New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Center for Health Statistics, H&A Bldg - Room 405, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360

The 1990-98 New Jersey final death files were matched probabilistically (using AUTOMATCH) to the New Jersey HIV/AIDS registry to study causes of death among HIV/AIDS patients. The number of deaths due to HIV/AIDS as indicated by ICD-9 codes (42-44) declined from 1,637 in 1990 to 758 in 1998. Deaths due to HIV/AIDS among HIV/AIDS patients, declined from an average of 80% for the years 1990-95 to 76% in 1996 to 65% in 1997 and 59% in 1998. The steep decline in HIV/AIDS mortality in 1997 and 1998 may be attributed largely to advances in treatment and use of anti-retroviral drugs. The decline in HIV/AIDS proportionate mortality, however, was not uniform across ethnic groups. The decline was steeper for Non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics than for Non-Hispanic Blacks despite the fact that Hispanics experienced the highest proportionate HIV/AIDS mortality prior to 1996. The proportion of mortality due to HIV/AIDS declined for both males and females. By 1998 HIV/AIDS proportionate mortality among females was 56% and 60% among males.

During this same time, non-HIV/AIDS causes increased as a proportion of death. Leading causes of death other than HIV/AIDS were Malignant Neoplasm; Other unintentional injuries; Diseases of the Heart; Other infectious and Parasitic diseases and Pneumonia and Influenza. In 1998 Malignant Neoplasms were the leading cause of death among HIV/AIDS patients who died of causes other than HIV/AIDS, whereas in 1990 “other infectious and parasitic diseases” were the leading non-HIV/AIDS cause of death.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session , the participants in this session will be able to

• Recogonize the usefulness of matching an HIV/AIDS disease registry to vital statistics (mortality) files.
• Describe the decline in HIV/AIDS proportionate mortality among HIV/AIDS patients and the corresponding proportionate increase in other causes of deaths.
• Discuss some potential implications of those shifts in cause of death proportionate mortality for care and treatment of HIV/AIDS patients. 4.Assess the limitations of this matching project and the need for future research in this area.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.