Epidemiology of AIDS and tuberculosis among United States Veterans

SETTING: US veterans. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency of the acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and tuberculosis (TB) among US veterans. DESIGN: Analysis of statistics for 1984-1993 from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RESULTS: For the first time in the available literature the incidence of AIDS and TB per 100000 were calculated for US veterans receiving health care from Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMC). Among these veterans, the incidence of AIDS in 1993 was 2.5-fold (P < 0.001) and the incidence of TB at least 1.3-fold (P < 0.001) higher than among the corresponding general population. The higher the incidences of AIDS and TB among general population of a state, the higher are the incidences of the diseases among veterans of this state (P < 0.001). A high correlation (r = 0.6, P < 0.001) between AIDS and TB among veterans was found. CONCLUSION: The study shows that US veterans receiving health care at VAMC are a high risk group for both AIDS and TB, and increased preventive measures are recommended. The spread of AIDS and TB among veterans of a state is probably determined by the spread of these diseases among the general population of that state.