AIDS patient care and STDs
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AIDS Patient Care STDS · Sep 2020
Asymptomatic Adolescent HIV: Identifying a Role for Universal HIV Screening in the Pediatric Emergency Department.
Adolescents account for most undiagnosed HIV infections in the United States. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends universal HIV screening for all patients ≥13 years, <10% of adolescents have been tested for HIV. To identify earlier opportunities for adolescent HIV prevention and diagnosis in a region of high HIV prevalence, we sought to describe pediatric emergency department (PED) visits made by a retrospective cohort of adolescents who were later diagnosed with HIV as young adults (<25 years) through an adult emergency department (ED) universal HIV screening program. ⋯ Ten HIV-infected young adults had 26 PED visits during the time in which they were likely already infected with HIV, each a potential missed opportunity for earlier diagnosis. HIV-infected and at-risk adolescents are underrecognized in PED visits. Implementation of CDC-recommended universal screening may lead to earlier diagnoses and improve outcomes; the PED may also be critical in identifying adolescents eligible for preexposure prophylaxis.