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HIV Infection Blog
Related terms: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Acute HIV Infection, Acute Retroviral Syndrome, AIDS, AIDS-Related Complex, Chronic Symptomatic HIV Infection, HIV Infection, Acute, HIV Seroconversion Syndrome, Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection, Primary HIV Infection, HIV, ARC, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV/AIDS
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Driving Ability May Falter With Age in HIV-Positive Adults
Posted 16 days ago by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, April 4, 2014 – Middle-aged and elderly people with HIV may have deficits in their mental skills that affect their ability to drive, according to a small new study. The study included 26 adults with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), aged 40 and older, who were given mental performance and driving simulator tests. The level of the virus in the HIV-positive patients' blood did not affect their driving performance, but being older was associated with poorer driving skills and slower visual processing speed, the researchers said. The study was published recently in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. This area requires further research because by 2015, nearly half of the people with HIV in the United States will be 50 or older, said principal investigator David Vance, associate director of the Center for Nursing Research at the University of Alabama at ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
Study Adds to Signs Linking HIV to Heart Trouble
Posted 20 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, March 31, 2014 – Long-term HIV infection is linked to an increased risk of heart disease in men, a new study finds. For the study, Johns Hopkins researchers looked at 618 HIV-infected men and 383 uninfected men, aged 40 to 70, in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., Chicago, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles areas. Study participants who had more advanced HIV and had been taking highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART – a combination of drugs that target HIV) for a long time were more likely to have plaque buildup in their heart arteries and narrowing of the arteries. This is called coronary artery disease and can lead to a heart attack, the study authors noted in a Johns Hopkins news release. Previous research has suggested an association between HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) and heart disease, but the results have been inconclusive, according to the report published in the April ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
HIV-Positive Inmates Benefit From Drug Treatment, Study Says
Posted 20 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, March 31, 2014 – Providing drug therapy to HIV-positive prison inmates helped a significant number of them achieve suppression of the virus before they were released, a new study finds. HIV patients with so-called "viral suppression" are less likely to transmit the AIDS-causing virus to others, experts noted. The study, published online March 31 in JAMA Internal Medicine, included 882 HIV-infected prisoners in Connecticut who were in jail for at least 90 days and were put on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Most of the prisoners were men, their average age was 43 and about half were black. Nearly 30 percent of the inmates had viral suppression when they began their sentence, compared with 70 percent just before their release, the study found. Age, race, length of jail term, or type of antiretroviral regimen did not affect the likelihood of viral suppression, according to a journal ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
Hepatitis C Patients With HIV May Face Higher Risk of Liver Disease
Posted 19 Mar 2014 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2014 – Among people with hepatitis C, the risk of serious liver disease is much higher in those who also have HIV than in those without the AIDS-causing virus, a new study finds. This is true even among patients with HIV who are otherwise benefiting from antiretroviral therapy to treat the virus, the University of Pennsylvania researchers said. They analyzed data from more than 4,200 patients with both hepatitis C and HIV who were receiving antiretroviral therapy. In addition, they looked at data on more than 6,000 patients with hepatitis C only. The patients received care between 1997 and 2010. The HIV/hepatitis C patients had an 80 percent higher rate of serious liver disease than those with hepatitis C only, according to the study, which was published in the March 18 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Even HIV/hepatitis C patients who had a good ... Read more
Related support groups: Hepatitis C, HIV Infection
HIV Transmission Between Women Rare, But Possible: CDC
Posted 13 Mar 2014 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, March 13, 2014 – A case report of a woman who was infected with HIV during sex with another woman shows that such transmission of the virus is possible, health officials say. The case occurred in Texas in 2012 and involved two women who were a monogamous couple for six months. One of them had HIV, and the other did not. The couple routinely did not take any protective measures during sex, and had engaged in sexual activity that resulted in the exchange of blood through abrasions. The partner who had been HIV-free became infected. Health officials could find no other HIV risk exposures for the newly infected woman, and concluded that it was likely she was infected by her partner. While the risk of HIV transmission between female sex partners is low, it can occur when bodily fluids such as menstrual blood and vaginal fluids come into contact with a cut, abrasion or a mucus ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
Vaginal Gel Might Prevent HIV Hours After Exposure
Posted 12 Mar 2014 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 12, 2014 – A new vaginal gel has the potential to protect women from HIV, even if it is applied several hours after sex, animal research suggests. The antimicrobial gel protected five out of six monkeys from a hybrid simian/human AIDS virus when it was used three hours after exposure to the AIDS-causing virus, said lead author Walid Heneine, a researcher in HIV/AIDS prevention for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The same gel also protected two out of three monkeys when applied a half-hour before HIV exposure, according to the study, published March 12 in Science Translational Medicine. Such a gel could be extremely useful in protecting women from HIV, because it can provide protection either before or after sexual activity, said Rowena Johnston, vice president of research for amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. "If you're having sex that's in ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Isentress, Raltegravir
Gene Therapy for Controlling HIV Shows Early Promise
Posted 5 Mar 2014 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 5, 2014 – In an early step toward drug-free HIV therapy, researchers are reporting the first success in genetically "editing" T-cells in patients' immune systems to become resistant to the virus. The findings, published in the March 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, are based on only 12 patients. But experts were cautiously optimistic about what the study accomplished. Specifically, researchers were able to take T-cells from the HIV patients' blood, then "knock out" a gene known as CCR5, which controls a protein that allows HIV to enter a cell. The scientists then infused the genetically altered T-cells back into patients' blood, where they expanded in number. What's more, a few patients were taken off their HIV drugs temporarily and saw their virus levels decrease. "This is impressive," said Rowena Johnston, director of research for amfAR, the Foundation ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
Long-Acting HIV Drug May Offer Better Protection Against Infection
Posted 4 Mar 2014 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 4, 2014 – A long-acting, injectable HIV drug could potentially protect people from infection with the AIDS virus for up to three months, new animal studies suggest. The experimental drug, called GSK744, protected macaque monkeys from repeated attempts to infect the animals with a hybrid simian/human AIDS virus called SHIV, scientists said. GSK744 is a reformulated, long-acting version of an HIV drug known as dolutegravir (Tivicay), which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment in people who have already been infected with HIV. While GSK744 hasn't been tested on humans, doctors hope that it will lead to a medication that could effectively protect people against HIV infection, mostly because it would only need to be administered on a quarterly basis. However, findings from animal studies often don't hold up in human trials. Such a ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Tivicay, Dolutegravir
Kids Born With HIV May Face Heart Risks Later, Study Suggests
Posted 27 Feb 2014 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 27, 2014 – Half of teens who were infected with HIV at birth may face a higher risk of heart attack and stroke when they're older, new research suggests. "These results indicate that individuals who have had HIV since birth should be monitored carefully by their health care providers for signs of cardiovascular disease," said study co-author Dr. George Siberry of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Other research has linked HIV infection and certain HIV medications to higher risk of heart disease. This study – published online in the journal Circulation – examines the potential long-term risk for teens, although it only estimates risk and doesn't track the teenagers over time. Siberry and colleagues came to their conclusions after examining results from from the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study, a long-term research ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
Higher HIV Infection Rates Seen in Mental Health Patients: Study
Posted 13 Feb 2014 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 13, 2014 – Americans seeking treatment for mental health disorders may be four to 16 times more likely to be infected with HIV than those in the general population, a new study reveals. The findings emphasize the need to provide testing for HIV – the virus that causes AIDS – in mental health care facilities, the researchers said. The study authors provided HIV testing to more than 1,000 people in Philadelphia and Baltimore who sought treatment for mental health problems such as depression, psychosis and substance abuse from January 2009 to August 2011. About 4.8 percent of these patients were infected with HIV. That's 16 times higher than the rate of 0.3 percent in the overall U.S. population, and about four times higher than the rates of 1.4 percent in Philadelphia and 1.3 percent in Baltimore. Both cities are HIV epicenters, the researchers noted. Thirteen of the 51 ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
Only 1 in 3 HIV-Infected Black Americans Gets Effective Treatment: Study
Posted 6 Feb 2014 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 6, 2014 – Even though drugs that can keep HIV at bay are available, only about one in three black Americans with the AIDS-causing virus have their infection under control, U.S. health officials said Thursday. According to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many HIV-positive black patients are not getting the care and treatment needed to live healthy lives, keep the virus under control and prevent passing it on to others. "We know that treatment can help people with HIV live long and healthy lives and also prevent transmission of the virus to others," said Donna Hubbard McCree, associate director of CDC's Health Equity Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. The problem is particularly acute among black men, who have especially high rates of HIV infection, she said. According to CDC statistics, one in every 16 black men will become infected ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
Many Young Americans With HIV Delay Treatment: Study
Posted 4 Feb 2014 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Feb. 4, 2014 – A troubling new study finds that one-third to nearly half of American teens and young adults with HIV delay treatment until their infection is advanced, putting them at risk for serious health problems. These findings are especially disturbing as evidence increasingly suggests that starting HIV treatment as soon as possible helps keep the virus under control and can prevent the heart, kidney and neurological harm that occurs in patients with poorly controlled HIV infection, the researchers noted. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. The researchers analyzed the medical records of nearly 1,500 HIV-infected people, aged 12 to 24, who were seen at 13 clinics across the United States between 2002 and 2010. Of those, 30 percent to 45 percent sought treatment when their infection was at an advanced stage. Males and members of minority groups were most likely to have ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
Taking Drug to Prevent HIV Doesn't Seem to Encourage Risk-Taking
Posted 18 Dec 2013 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2013 – Should people in danger of contracting HIV because they have risky sex take a pill to prevent infection, or will the medication encourage them to take even more sexual risks? After years of debate on this question, a new international study suggests the medication doesn't lead people to stop using condoms or have more sex with more people. The research isn't definitive, and it hasn't changed the mind of every expert. But one of the study's co-authors said the findings support the drug's use as a way to prevent infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. "People may have more partners or stop using condoms, but as well as we can tell, it's not because of [taking the drug to prevent HIV infection]," said study co-author Dr. Robert Grant, a senior investigator with the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology in San Francisco. The medication in ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
New HIV Strain May Move to AIDS More Quickly: Study
Posted 3 Dec 2013 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Dec. 3, 2013 – A recently discovered, aggressive strain of HIV leads to faster development of AIDS than other HIV strains, according to a new study. More than 60 epidemic strains of HIV-1 exist. This new strain has the shortest period from infection to the development of AIDS, at about five years, according to researchers at Lund University, in Sweden. The new strain is a fusion of the two most common strains in Guinea-Bissau, a small country in West Africa. It has been identified only in that region. When two strains join, they form what's called a "recombinant." "Recombinants seem to be more vigorous and more aggressive than the strains from which they developed," doctoral student Angelica Palm said in a Lund University news release. Previous research has shown that the global spread of different recombinants is increasing. Moreover, increasingly mixed and complex HIV ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection
Multivitamins May Help Fight HIV Progression, Study Suggests
Posted 26 Nov 2013 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2013 – New research from Africa suggests that basic multivitamin and selenium supplements might greatly lower the risk that untreated people with the AIDS virus will get sicker over a two-year period. It's not clear how patients who take the vitamins and mineral might fare over longer periods. And the impact of the study in the United States will be limited because many Americans diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, immediately begin treatment with powerful medications known as anti-retroviral drugs. Those in the African study hadn't yet begun taking drugs to keep the virus at bay. Still, "it is incredibly useful to find new strategies to delay the progression of HIV disease," said Dr. Jared Baeten, an associate professor of global health at the University of Washington in Seattle who's familiar with the findings. "Not every HIV-infected person is ... Read more
Related support groups: Vitamins, HIV Infection, Multivitamin, Metanx, Cerefolin, Cerefolin NAC, Neurobion, Thera, Folbee, Daflon, StressTabs, Cod Liver Oil, Foltanx, Folbic, Therobec, Nephrocaps, Poly-Vi-Sol, Estroven, One Tab Daily, Vitaplex
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