[Women and AIDS: profile of an infected population and its social implications]

This study aimed to identify the profile of women with AIDS from a Health Service located in São Paulo City, from October to December, 1995. The data obtained from medical charts allowed to characterize the profile in terms of age, school degree, marital status, occupation, exposed category and mean survival time. Besides, it was possible to know the number of children--sons and daughters of those women--that might be real or potential AIDS' orphans, an important social problem involving the phenomena. Authors discuss the women's particularities in the process of the disease and the social implications related to the spread of the infection in this group.