Embargoed for release by the Archives of Internal Medicine until Monday, June 12, 2000 at 4:00 pm (EDT)
Contact: Christopher Smalley (617) 638-8491 [email protected]
INCREASED ILLNESS AND HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION FOUND IN WOMEN WITH HIV WHO SUFFER FROM PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE
BOSTON, MA - Physical and sexual abuse are common and associated with increased medical disease and health care utilization among HIV-infected women according to a study in the June 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The multi-center study examined whether victimization experience is associated with increases in documented medical disease and health care.
"A large majority of HIV-infected women seeking initial HIV care at two urban hospitals experienced violence in their lives that was associated with more medical diseases, increased emergency department visits and hospitalizations," said Jane Liebschutz, MD, lead author, department of medicine, Boston University School of Medicine.
There are two important implications of this study. First, physical and sexual abuse is so common in HIV infected women, that providers of care for these women must screen for it and address the aftermath of violence in their lives. Second, the relationship between trauma and medical illness, suggests that the effects of trauma are not just psychological, but may impact the immune system and other body functions. This should be an avenue for further research.
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and Brown University School of Medicine examined responses to a survey as well as the medical records of 50 women with HIV infection who were seeking medical care for their HIV for the first time. More than half were found to have histories of physical and/or sexual abuse. These findings were both from self-disclosure in the survey as well as in the medical record. At the beginning of the study, those with histories of physical and sexual abuse had significantly more illnesses such as pneumonia, blood clots, high blood pressure, asthma, chronic pain problems, and more sexually transmitted diseases than did those without histories of abuse.
When researchers followed the women for two years, they found not only did the women continue to have more of those diseases, but also had more injuries (not related to abuse), hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room.
Established in 1873, Boston University School of Medicine is a leading academic and research institution, with an enrollment of nearly 630 students and nearly 1,000 full and part-time faculty members. It is known for its programs in arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, human genetics, pulmonary disease and dermatology, among others. The School is affiliated with Boston Medical Center, its principal teaching hospital, and Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center. Along with Boston Medical Center and 14 community health center partners, the School of Medicine is a partner in Boston HealthNet, a consumer-driven urban health network.
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