[Drug dependence and HIV infection: epidemiologic study in a jail population]

We carried out an epidemiological study in jail community of Bari, in order to evaluate the incidence of drug abuse on the presence of HIV infection among prison inmates. During the period 1988-89, 1609 adults have been examined 40% of whom were intravenous drug abusers, and 221 adolescents, the 9.5% included in the mentioned risk groups. The average of HIV infection in adult population resulted of 15.4%. The 85% of drug abusers were aged 18 to 30. In this population the seroprevalence resulted of 33.4%, in front of the 3.5% of non drug abusers prisoners while only two cases of seropositivity were found in adolescents among the 21 drug abusers (9.5%). Prevalence in drug abusers was not different from that observed in a population of drug abusers who lived in the general population. These results further confirm that prisons represent a reservoir for HIV infection in relation to the drug abuse problem.