Article Figures & Data
Tables
Additional Files
Supplemental Tables
Supplemental Table 1. Annual Number of Patients Visiting Physician�s Offices, Emergency Departments and Hospital Clinics With Fever and Other Top 3 Symptoms and Diagnoses Consistent With Primary HIV Infection; Supplemental Table 2. Annual Number of Patients Visiting Physician�s Offices, Emergency Departments, and Hospital Clinics With Rash and Other Top 3 Symptoms and Diagnoses Consistent With Primary HIV Infection; Supplemental Table 3. Annual Number of Patients Visiting Physician�s Offices, Emergency Departments, and Hospital Clinics With Pharyngitis and Other Top 3 Symptoms and Diagnoses Consistent With Primary HIV Infection; Supplemental Table 4. Numerator Estimate: Annual Number of Patients Aged 13 to 54 Years With Primary HIV Infection Visiting Physician Offices, Emergency Departments, and Hospital Clinics With Fever, Rash, or Pharyngitis.
Files in this Data Supplement:
- Supplemental data: Tables 1-4 - PDF file; 5 pages, 141 KB
The Article in Brief
Cost-Effectiveness of Expanded Testing for Primary HIV Infection
By Andrew Coco, MD
Background: Primary HIV infection, which has flu-like symptoms, can be difficult to diagnose. This study looked at whether widespread testing for primary HIV infection would be cost-effective.
What this study found: In a group of 2 million hypothetical patients with fever, other viral symptoms and at least one HIV risk factor, expanded testing would identify 17,054 cases and avoid infection in 435 sexual partners. Based on a cost-effectiveness analysis, expanded testing for primary HIV infection has a high probability of being cost-effective.
Implications
� The findings suggests that widespread testing for primary HIV infection in patients with fever or other viral symptoms could be cost-effective.
� The authors believe that large-scale testing would be similar to screening for diseases such as colon cancer and breast cancer in its cost-effectiveness, and could help reduce the rate of HIV in the United States.