HIV Mortality and the African American Population.

This paper examines trends in HIV mortality in the United States, by race and sex, for the period from 1987 to 1991. It begins by adjusting the African American population for the Census undercount. It then examines the increase over time in overall and age-specific HIV death rates. Finally, using multiple-decrement life table techniques, it examines the age-specific probability of dying because of HIV and the impact of the elimination of HIV deaths on life expectancy at birth. In this analysis, data compiled by the National Centers for Health Statistics (NCHS) is employed. In 1987, the NCHS introduced new categories for classifying deaths attributable to HIV. The analysis shows a distinctive age pattern associated with HIV mortality. This distinctive age pattern results from the specific transmission dynamics of HIV, the concentration of behavioral patterns that lead to HIV infection in particular age groups, and the length of the period from initial HIV infection to death.