Treatment for HIV Infections

"The majority of patients in America undergoing HIV treatment receive medication to treat HIV infection. Antiretroviral treatment has increased the survival of people with HIV infection. Antiretroviral therapy is more effective than counseling and education and improves a patient's quality of life. Antiretroviral treatment is very effective for treating HIV. In America, it is more cost-effective and safer to provide these drugs than just providing educational programs and counseling.\n" - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Results from a recent clinical trial supports the view of the American Academy of Pediatrics that HIV is transmitted through sexual contact and that HIV seropositive individuals have a decreased risk of seroconversion, perhaps by the shedding of HIV asymptomatically." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Although the advent of HAART has improved the prognosis of HIV patients and their treatment, it has limited and inconsistent impact on other AIDS-related diseases. Even with highly active antiretroviral therapy, many people with HIV-associated coinfections and their untreated disease still develop AIDS. AIDS-defining disorders (including Pneumocystis-carinii pneumonia, mycobacterial pneumonia, toxoplasmosis, cryptococcal meningitis, and cytomegalovirus retinitis) are still highly prevalent in HIV-infected patients. This information should be carefully considered when managing patients with HIV-associated coinfections." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"HIV infection is a common human infectious disease which affects almost all parts of the human body. It is classified as a virus that thrives in the body of infected persons. HIV infection has been found to be a major factor in the development of other blood diseases. HIV infections are also a primary cause of death, especially among the young and the old, in Sub-Saharan Africa.\n" - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Although people with HIV infection may appear unwell, clinicians can use signs to diagnose the presence of symptoms. Because they do not have an accurate diagnosis, this requires doctors to treat people and try to avoid unnecessary medical tests; to improve the quality of care, it is important to accurately identify who was infected, as well as to learn about the course of the disease. Knowledge of signs and symptom patterns is critical for the most effective care, ensuring the rights and wellbeing of individuals living with HIV. However, most people with HIV are unaware that there are any symptoms and signs of HIV infection, so patients need to be educated. Find out the symptoms of HIV here." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"In 1993 and 1994 among men age 45 to 59, the estimated annual incidence was 32 and 56 per 100,000 man-years, compared with 9 and 18 per 100,000 for women and men under 45, and 25 and 36 per 100,000 for women and men 45 to 59, respectively. No significant associations of hiv incidence with race or ethnicity were found for the period studied." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"This article discusses the clinical trials of rVSV-ZEBOV and RVB-VSV-ZEBOV that have been completed and published. Results from a recent clinical trial show that rVSV-ZEBOV has both a clinically significant effect in reducing mortality, and a significant reduction in the incidence of death from metastatic disease when used with chemotherapy when compared to the control. RVB-VSV-ZEBOV was shown to be effective in a small proportion of patients when used as a control in rVSV-ZEBOV based chemotherapy in the two studies. Although the first trial has yet to be completed, both are expected to report shortly (2015) as planned." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Treatment safety profiles for patients with and without high or very high CD4 counts are comparable, with one exception - the treatment of opportunistic infections - which was not statistically significantly higher in patients with low CD4 counts." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Currently, there are only three drug trials that offer a cure for HIV infection. And if any are not working correctly, patients are probably missing a good chance of survival and potentially a second chance to live. There are also several drug candidates still searching for the optimum treatment for the disease, which are not available on the market. Some of the current treatments include:\n- Efavirenz (EVG): Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) that is used for treatment for patients who have [advanced HIV infection] with minimal previous experience with antiretroviral therapy. It is the only HAART that has been shown to help people live longer in HIV treatment." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Research in recent years has uncovered an increase in knowledge and understanding of the many diseases that can be related to HIV infections and has contributed to the improvement of the quality of the life of infected persons, their families, and their physicians." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"There has not been any new discoveries in the last 10 years. Although much work remains to be done, there are several areas of interest that warrant further study. We will focus more on developing therapeutic targets and discovering more effective therapies with fewer side effects." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Side effects of ART are highly variable depending on the type of ART used and time of ART initiation.\n[Common side effects of ART include] \n- nausea and vomiting\n[Common side effects of ART include]\n\n1. Weight gain after starting ART\n\nIt is unclear if this weight gain is due to ART or a result of diet and exercise.\n\nA recent study found that HIV patients who weigh more than 120 kg (266-280 lbs) are more likely to have drug-related liver disease.\n\nIf prescribed, patients are instructed to seek healthcare for any side effects that arise." - Anonymous Online Contributor