Trend Analysis of HIV/AIDS Burden in Iran: Results from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study

Despite global efforts, human immunodeficiency virus/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is still one of the major public health problems in the entire world. In this context, assessing the burden of this disease in different parts of the world is of great importance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the trends of HIV/AIDS incidence and mortality in Iran during 1990 and 2017.  

The HIV/AIDS burden data, including the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and the mortality rate (ASMR), was extracted from the Global Burden of Diseases 2017 study for the total Iranian population and by gender from 1990 to 2017. The trend analysis was performed using joinpoint regression modeling approach.

The obtained results showed that in 2017, the HIV/AIDS ASIR and ASMR were, respectively, more than 12 and 10 times of these rates in 1990. Also, the estimated average annual percent change (AAPC) was 9.8% and 8.7%, respectively for the ASIR and the ASMR. In this period, women have experienced a sharper slope of ASIR and ASMR trends compared with Iranian men.  

The increasing trend of HIV/AIDS burden is a serious alarm for the Iranian health policymakers. To achieve the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS goals, there is an urgent need for an efficient national action plan that breaks the HIV/AIDS taboo in the society, promote access to HIV testing and prevention facilities, especially among the key populations, and provide care and treatments for all infected people.