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Medical Graffiti The information in the medical news section is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Treatments described may not be available in all countries. We do not sell the listed medicines. Drugs may have side effects not mentioned here Early initiation of antiretroviral treatment (at CD4 count above 350 cells /mm3) reduced the risk of HIV transmission to an uninfected partner by 96%. International AIDS Society Conference 2011, Rome
In patients with HIV-associated tuberculous meningitis, early initiation of anti retroviral therapy did not provide any survival benefit and led to higher incidence of adverse events. TB meningitis may be an exception to the rule that patients with advanced HIV disease should start anti retroviral therapy sooner rather than later. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2011 Jun 1; 52:1374
Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) preserves physical health in patients with HIV, it may not completely avert HIV-related brain damage. Central nervous system inflammation persists despite successful ART. AIDS 2011 Mar 13; 25:625.
A total of 2.7 million new HIV infections were diagnosed worldwide in 2008. Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
For people with HIV, longer duration of initial virologic suppression is protective against a rebound. Longer the adherence to the initial suppressive treatment, the less likely is the rebound. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 2010 Sep 10 Vitamin A and beta-carotene supplements are unsafe for HIV-positive women who breastfeed because they may boost the excretion of HIV in breast milk -- thereby increasing the chances of transmitting the infection to the child. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition August 25, 2010 Painful neuropathy frequently persists in HIV-infected patients even when antiretroviral therapy has reduced viral load and restored immune function. Archives of Neurology New Guidelines by the International AIDS Society urges treatment for HIV patients when their CD4 counts drop to 500 cells / mm3, even if there are no symptoms. Treatment is recommended at even higher CD4-cell counts in special situations like HIV-associated nephropathy, chronic hepatitis B or C, unusually high viral loads (>100,000 copies/ mL), unusually rapid CD4-cell declines (>100 cells/ mm3 per year), individuals with a heightened risk for transmission (those with HIV negative partners). Journal of American Medical Association 2010 Jul 21
Early initiation of anti-HIV treatment reduced the risk of death by 75% and the rate of new tuberculosis diagnoses by half. Study: New England Journal of Medicine 15 July 2010 In HIV patients, CD4+ cell count at the time of initiation of anti retroviral treatment is an important predictive factor for the immune recovery. Lancet Infectious Diseases 2006; 6(5):280–287 Retroviruses known to infect humans: HIV, HTLV (Human T-lymphotropic viruses), XMRV (Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus). HTLV is known to cause T-cell Leukemia & Lymphoma. XMRV is linked to Prostate Cancer. |