A new study has found that half of people in the Veteran’s Administration (VA) medical system who tested HIV positive already had AIDS at the time of their diagnosis, according to an announcement by researchers at Yale and Yeshiva University.

The research team, led by Neel Gandhi, MD, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, examined 4,368 patients who presented for HIV care at VA medical centers across the United States between 1998 and 2002. In addition to finding that half of the patients had AIDS at the time of their HIV diagnosis—similar to the rate outside the VA system—the researchers also discovered that 40 percent of those with AIDS at the time of diagnosis had previously received treatment for other medical problems in the months and years leading up to their diagnosis without ever being tested for HIV.

Approximately 12 percent of those with AIDS reported having AIDS-related symptoms prior to their diagnosis. Dr. Ghandi’s team contends that many, therefore, may not have been tested as they didn’t have symptoms of HIV infection. The researchers conclude that the results of this study support guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control that people in all health care settings be tested routinely for HIV. Had this occurred, a significant percentage of these patients could have been treated for HIV before progressing to AIDS.