Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112305

Gary Goldbaum, MD MPH, HIV Epidemiology, Public Health-Seattle & King County / University of Washington, 400 Yesler Building, 3rd Floor, Seattle, WA 98104, Linda Oakley, HIV Epidemiology, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 400 Yesler Way, 3rd floor, Seattle, WA 98104, and Susan Buskin, PhD, MPH, HIV Epidemiology, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 400 Yesler Way, 3rd floor, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-205-6123, susan.buskin@metrokc.gov.

Background: A modified HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay, STARHS, identifies some recently infected people and permits incidence estimates based on cross-sectional (rather than cohort) testing. Because STARHS is an investigational test without clinical application, consent is required and returning results to participants is discouraged. We sought to determine if receiving STARHS results in addition to HIV results leads to additional adverse outcomes compared with receiving only HIV results. Methods: We interviewed persons who had tested positive for HIV at publicly-funded testing sites in King County, Washington. Results: Of 27 seropositive participants, 26 were men who have sex with men and one was male-to-female transgender. Seventeen (63%) had been STARHS tested and ten (37%) had not. All 6 who had a “recent” STARHS result reported receiving a “recent” result, whereas only 1 (9%) of 11 who had an “indeterminate” STARHS result reported receiving an “indeterminate” result. Participants reported that depression, partner violence, and other adverse events were no more likely after receiving their HIV+ results than before receiving them. The participants who reported receiving “recent” STARHS results when they received their HIV+ results were more likely than other participants to have tested anonymously, but less likely to report being depressed or suicidal after receiving their HIV results. No participants attributed adverse effects to receiving STARHS results. Conclusions: In this limited survey of persons tested for HIV in publicly funded sites, receiving HIV-infection notification with or without STARHS results did not lead to immediate adverse outcomes.

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

• Describe how incidence can be estimated using STARHS.
• Describe subject reaction to receiving positive HIV results.
• Describe subject reaction to receiving STARHS results.

Keywords: Infectious Diseases, Surveillance

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: STARHS uses a modified HIV-EIA and so is governed by an IND issued to the CDC.

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.