[HIV prevalence among Surinam and Antillean drug users in Amsterdam]

To determine the HIV prevalence and the frequency of injecting drugs among drug users from Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles in Amsterdam.

Descriptive study.

Amsterdam streets.

Participants were recruited in 1992 in the street and interviewed about their drug use behaviour, sexual life style and previous HIV test results. Blood or saliva samples were collected for HIV antibody testing.

Of 198 participants recruited, 185 (93%) were males. The mean age was 38 years. The mean duration of stay in the Netherlands was 19 years and mean duration of drug use 14 years. Sixty-eight percent of the participants received methadone treatment. Injecting drugs at any time was reported by 29 (15%) participants. Injecting drug users (IDU) more often had a steady partner who also injected or otherwise used drugs. Nearly one-quarter reported having had sex with a steady or casual IDU partner. HIV prevalence among IDU was 17% (5/29; 95%-CI 7.4-35%), among heterosexual male non-IDU 4.5% (7/156; 95%-CI 2.1-9.1%) and among female non-IDU 9.1% (1/11; 95%-CI 1.3-44%). HIV positive heterosexual non-IDU reported a higher mean number of heterosexual partners in the past 6 months (7.1 versus 1.3), more often had had hepatitis and more often were blood transfusion recipients than HIV negative heterosexual non-IDU.

HIV prevalence among IDU in this study did not differ from the prevalences found among other IDU in Amsterdam. However, HIV prevalence among heterosexual non-IDU originating from Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles was high when compared with other non-IDU heterosexuals in Amsterdam and may indicate the presence of heterosexual transmission of HIV. Underreporting of risk behaviour or transmission through blood transfusion however, cannot be excluded completely.