Background: To describe the time-trend of people diagnosed with HIV infection in Asturias, Navarra and La Rioja up to 1998.
Methods: HIV case reports since the beginning of the epidemic have been analysed. Only the first positive confirmed result for each patient was taken into account.
Results: In the three regions a total of 7,870 HIV infections had been diagnosed by 1998 (4 cases per 1,000 inhabitants). New diagnoses decreased 60% since 1991 to 1998, with the greatest fall among intravenous drug users, and the lowest fall in sexually transmitted infections.
Conclusions: This time-trend supports a reduction in HIV transmission in these three regions; however, the number of new diagnosed infections remains high.