Introduction:

HIV/AIDS affects people all over the world, of different ages, sexes and social classes. Therefore, knowing the profile of people living with HIV/AIDS is of paramount importance for the development of prevention and treatment strategies.

Objective:

To identify the epidemiological profile of people living with HIV/AIDS and their differences regarding sex.

Methods:

Cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted in two clinics specialized in the care of people with HIV/AIDS and located in the city of Ribeirao Preto, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The study participants were 331 (50.9%) people who sought care from 2007 to 2010. The data was collected through interviews with a specific questionnaire for the study. The chi-square test was performed in order to analyze the association between the variables.

Results:

The variables marital status (p<0.001), education (p=0.001), incomes (p<0.001), presence of comorbidities (p=0.004), and time of diagnosis (p<0.001) showed a statistically significant difference in the comparison regarding sex.

Conclusions:

Most people living with HIV/AIDS who participated in this study were young, had low educational level and reported that they had been infected through sexual contact. In addition, when evaluating the differences regarding sex, it was identified that the variables education, income, comorbidities and time of diagnosis showed significant differences.

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