Epidemiological characteristics of HIV-infected women in the Republic of Korea: A low HIV prevalence country

Greater than 90 per cent of HIV-infected Koreans are men, and therefore the majority of Korean HIV/AIDS studies reflect the male population. We wished to evaluate the characteristics of HIV infection in women, and to compare our results with those in other countries. To better elucidate HIV infection in Korean women, we examined the characteristics of heterosexual transmission and studied the dynamics of HIV infection in heterosexual couples. We evaluated 479 HIV-infected women who were registered with the government during 1985-2007. The median age at registration and median CD4 cell count were 37 years (N = 479), 362 cells/mm(3) (N = 276), respectively. About 68 per cent had a regular sexual partner and 26 per cent were diagnosed because they had HIV-positive male partners. Eighty-five per cent of women of concordant couples were detected because of previously diagnosed male partners (N = 115). We verified that the majority of HIV-infected women were infected by male sexual partners. These results suggest that early and active detection of HIV-positive men will facilitate earlier detection and prevention in women. Journal of Public Health Policy (2009) 30, 342-355. doi: 10.1057/jphp.2009.16