Impact of AIDS on mortality in San Francisco, 1979-1986

The number of deaths and years of potential life lost before the age of 65 was determined for residents of San Francisco from 1979 to 1986. The number of deaths that were related to AIDS increased from 5 (0.1 percent of all deaths) in 1979 to 534 (6.6 percent) in 1986, with a total of 4,509 deaths related to AIDS during the seven years. AIDS-related deaths included deaths from infection with cytomegalovirus and cryptococcus, pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis carinii, cancer of the skin, and immune deficiency. Of the deaths caused by AIDS-related diseases, 84 percent (1,032 out of 1,225) were among men who were 20 to 49 years old. Between 1979 and 1986, AIDS-related deaths increased from 0 to 44 (25 percent of all deaths) among men aged 20-29 years, 0 to 257 (44 percent of all deaths) among men aged 30 to 39 years, and 0 to 150 (35 percent of all deaths) among men aged 40 to 49. In 1986, for men living in San Francisco, AIDS-related diseases were the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of years of potential life lost. Because of the only moderate improvement in survival rates and the number of reported and projected cases of AIDS, the number of deaths due to AIDS is projected to increase. The demands on the health care systems and the community in San Francisco, in terms of medical costs and psychological and social impact, is enormous. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)