Women initiate highly active antiretroviral therapy later than men

Dr. A. Mocroft from University College London and colleagues analysed treatments for patients at an HIV clinic in Southern Alberta, Canada.

The researchers found that equal access to healthcare does not mean equal treatment occurs for men and women who have HIV. The study, published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (2000;24:475-482), involved 1,403 patients, including 126 women. The researchers concluded that women were much less likely to start highly active antiretroviral therapy than men in the study, and they tended to start treatment a few months later than the men.