RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Although HIV is introduced relatively late into Asia, the amount of HIV-positive population has been continuously growing in this area. UNAIDS/WHO estimate that 6.5 million people are living with HIV in the Asia/Pacific region at the end of 1999. To expect the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 21st century in Korea, it is necessary to monitor the changes of the number of newly found HIV-infected individuals and their immune status by year including their epidemiological data. METHODS: We have selected 591 HIV-infected individuals whose first CD4 count was checked within 6 months from the time of diagnosis of HIV infection from 1990 to 1999. For the measurement of CD4+T and CD8+T cells, blood samples of HIV-1 infected individuals were collected into three potassium ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (K3EDTA)-treated tubes and stained within at least 24 hours after drawing and analysed by flow cytometer (FACStar or FACScount). The immune status were classified into 4 groups as follows: group I (> or =500 CD4+T cells/mm3), group II (201~499 CD4+T cells/mm3), group III (51~200 CD4+T cells/mm3), and group IV (< or =50 CD4+T cells/mm3). RESULTS: The mean of number of CD4+T cells of HIV-infected individuals at the time of HIV diagnosis was 677 cells/mm3 and the percentage of CD4+T cells was 22.5% in 1990~1991 but 350 cells/mm3 and 14.7% in 1999, respectively. The number of newly found HIV-infected individuals belong to Group III increased rapidly from 1997 to 1999. Also, the proportion of newly found HIV-infected individuals having the CD4+T cell counts of < or =50 cells/mm3 increased slowly by the time of diagnosis of HIV infection. The proportion of newly found HIV-infected individuals who were found in general hospitals increased during the second half of the 1990s. CONCLUSION: These results show that not only the number of newly found HIV-infected individuals has increased annually but also their immune status at the time of HIV diagnosis have been more depressed by the year. Therefore, we should enforce education for prevention of HIV/AIDS about general population as well as high risk groups.