HIV transmission and Kaposi's sarcoma among European women

Objective: To assess the association between the presence of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) as an AIDS-defining illness and HIV transmission categories among European women with AIDS. Design: Comparison of the prevalence of KS as an AIDS-defining illness in different HIV transmission categories. Methods: Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for KS were computed by means of unconditional multiple logistic regression equations. Results: KS was reported in 344 (2.2%) out of 15 809 women diagnosed with AIDS. Women who reported HIV infection via heterosexual intercourse had a >twofold increase of KS risk than intravenous drug users (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.9-3.0). Particularly elevated OR were observed among women originating from African or Caribbean countries (OR, 4.9; 95% CI, 3.7-6.5), and in partners of bisexual men (OR, 4.8; 95% CI, 2.8-8.2). Such risk patterns for KS were consistent in different countries, age groups and year of AIDS diagnosis. Conclusions: These results are in agreement with similar analyses from the United States, and support the existence of some putative KS agent(s) which can be acquired via sexual intercourse with bisexual men, or earlier in life in countries where non-AIDS-associated KS is frequent.