Homosexual prostitution among male drug users and its risk for HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE

to assess whether male prostitution is an independent risk factor for HIV infection among male (intravenous and nonintravenous) drug users.

DESIGN

a cross-sectional study.

SETTING

various low-threshold methadone clinics and the sexually transmitted diseases clinic of the Municipal Health Service in Amsterdam and a drug-treatment centre in The Hague.

PARTICIPANTS

343 male intravenous drug users and 106 male non-intravenous drug users.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: characteristics concerning drug use behaviour, sexual behaviour, and sociodemography, related to prostitution and HIV-antibodies.

RESULTS

of the 449 study participants, 88 (20%) reported a history of prostitution; no differences were found between intravenous and non-intravenous drug users. Younger age, West German nationality, and having had private homosexual sex contacts, were independent predictors of a history of prostitution. Independent predictors of HIV infection were (1) longer residency in Amsterdam; (2) having had predominantly homosexual private sex contacts; (3) longer duration of intravenous drug use; and (4) frequent needle sharing.

CONCLUSION

no evidence was found to suggest that male prostitution in itself contributed to the risk of HIV infection.