1993 AIDS Cases Rose 111%, With Wider Definition

The number of new AIDS cases unexpectedly more than doubled last year under a broader definition of the disease and a sharp increase in the number of infections among heterosexuals.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had projected that 1993 AIDS cases would jump 75% in the first year of the new definition. It actually increased by 111%, from 49,016 in 1992 to 103,500 in 1993, the agency reported Thursday.

Last year, the CDC expanded its definition to include those infected with HIV who also have a severely suppressed immune system, tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia or invasive cervical cancer.

Most of the AIDS cases under the new definition were reported in the first three months of the year. The surge had dropped off by the end of 1993, and CDC officials said they expect the number of 1994 cases to drop below last year’s figure.

The groups most affected by the expanded definition were women, blacks, heterosexual intravenous drug users and hemophiliacs.

AIDS cases resulting from heterosexual contact jumped 130% last year over 1992, from 4,045 to 9,288. Women accounted for about two-thirds of heterosexual cases, but the number of men who are infected through heterosexual contact also is increasing.