This is a quantitative and descriptive study. Its objective is identify and to analyze the scientific literature about HIV/SIDA in Brazilian nursing periodicals, between 1980 and 2005. The databases searched were: BVS-Enfermagem, with descriptors "hiv or aids"; and LILACS, SCIELO, Portal CAPES and BIREME, with descriptors "hiv or aids and nursing". The languages considered in the search were Portuguese, Spanish, and English. The majority of these studies on HIV/SIDA were published between 2000 and 2005, of which a majority were qualitative, descriptive studies. The largest of the groups studied were patients with HIV or SIDA and the used location for data collection used most was the hospital. The predominant theme was nursing care for patients with HIV or SIDA. Further reflection is necessary about the tendencies of nursing research about HIV/SIDA.
Nursing; Public health; Nursing research; HIV infections
