A retrospective study examining medical records of female prostitutes attending the STD/AIDS Reference Center in Vitória, Brazil from January/93 to December/96 was conducted. During this period, 180 women received medical and psychological care in this clinic. Mean age was 25.9 year (SD=6.8). Out of 180, 140 agreed to be tested for HIV, of whom 12 (8.6%) had a positive result. Among 157 women who agreed to be tested for syphilis, 144 (91.7%) had a negative result, while 13 (8.3%) had a positive one. According to the educational degree, 6 (3.3%) women were illiterate, 114 (63.3%) attended elementary school, 37 (20.6%) attended secondary school, 7 (3.9%) went to college and 16 gave no information. One hundred and forty-one patients (78.3%) were single, 17 (9.4%) married, 10 (5,5%) divorced and 4 (2.2%) widows. The frequency of condom use was: always, 56 (31.3%), sometimes, 93 (52.0%), and 30 (16.8%) never used condoms. Other STDs were reported by 89 (49.4%) women and 9 (5.0%) reported intravenous (IV) drug use. There was a significant difference between the HIV positive and the negative group only regarding IV drug abuse (p=0.031) and syphilis infection (p=0.014). The present study showed prevalence rates of HIV infection among prostitutes in Vitória much higher than those found in the general population. There is a pressing need to improve medical assistance and educational campaigns especially designed to reach this population of women, and focusing the importance of regular condom use and the risks associated with IV drug abuse.
Prostitution; AIDS; Syphilis; STD; Drug addiction; Primary care