Tag Archives: HIV

Did you know that the First Person To Be Cured Of HIV Has Died Of Cancer At 54?

Timothy Ray Brown, the initial person to be cured of HIV, passed away Tuesday of cancer. He was 54.

Brown, commonly known as “the Berlin patient,” was cured of HIV whenever he underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2007 to treat leukemia, which he individually had. The donor had a genetic mutation called “CCR-delta 32” that made him resistant to HIV to the point of near resistance. Whenever Brown received the transplant, that someone had handed genetic resistance down to him.

The First Person To Be Cured Of HIV Has Died Of Cancer At 54. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/the-first-person-to-be-cured-of-hiv-has-died-of-cancer-at-54

No holiday gift for GSK: FDA sends long-acting HIV injectable back to work

HIV patients hunting for relief from the burden of daily pills should wait longer.

Saturday, GlaxoSmithKline’s ViiV Healthcare declared that the FDA had rejected its long-acting HIV injection, known underneath of the working title Cabenuva. The statement is thin on details, noting with the exception that large response letter pertains to chemistry manufacturing and controls (CMC), which happens to be about data generated for the manufacturing process and product testing.

A ViiV spokesperson confirmed to FiercePharma which the FDA’s concerns tend not to include the should generate more clinical data but declined offer learn more. The firm said it would “work closely with the FDA to find the acceptable next steps” for your application.

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Prescription is comprised of GSK’s integrase strand transfer inhibitor cabotegravir and Johnson & Johnson’s non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor rilvipivirin, sold as Edurant in its tablet form. The GSK component is currently being produced with the company’s Barnard Castle factory in the U.K., the spokesperson said.

While existing HIV antiretroviral therapies require patients to accept daily medications to monitor the herpes virus, the new combo will allow them to receive an injection within the muscle every thirty days. Reduced dosing frequency could help ease the notion of fear of forgetting a dose and enhance compliance.

In two-phase 3 studies, Cabenuva showed it might, unfortunately, meet up standard-of-care, daily, oral three-drug regimens at suppressing HIV. Inside the Atlas study, prescription successfully contained herpes in 92.5% of patients after 48 weeks, while 95.5% of individuals throughout the three-drug regimen had undetectable viral loads. Among the Flair trial, the injectable’s 48-week virologic suppression rate hit 93.6%, as ViiV’s own therapy Triumeq (abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine) reached 93.3%.

Traditionally, a comprehensive HIV regimen contains three ingredients. GSK is aiming to save money the number of drugs HIV patients need to take, having already brought to market dual-drug regimens Juluca and Dovato. Juluca combines GSK’s integrase inhibitor Tivicay (dolutegravir) and Edurant, and it is approved to treat patients already virally suppressed. Dovato recommended for treatment-naïve adults, uses Tivicay and widely used off-patent lamivudine.

In Cabenuva’s Flair and Atlas trials, investigators observed high rates of injection site reaction. But execs have stressed that most events were manageable and produced very few patient withdrawals from the trial.

Within its Saturday statement, the GSK unit said the CMC problem is not just regarding safety so that there’s been no change to the security profile of the drug found in research studies. ViiV at this moment following both trials for more extended periods.

Meanwhile, it’s running the Atlas-2M study, which is testing the drug through bimonthly injections. That phase 3 trial recently reported positive results, showing comparable efficacy between both dosage forms.

ViiV has other HIV drug applications before the FDA, including for children-friendly product of dolutegravir and maybe for fostemsavir, a first-in-class attachment inhibitor for adults with multidrug-resistant HIV.

Still, GSK’s aim of challenging Gilead Sciences’ lead within the HIV market mainly depends on the success of two-drug regimens. To date, it must even to grab significant steam against Gilead’s fast-growing Biktarvy. In the first nine months, Gilead grew HIV sales by 12.3% a year over a year to $11.86 billion, and GSK’s £3.60 billion ($4.69 billion) only represented a 1% increase.

Author Resource Box:
No holiday gift for GSK: FDA sends long-acting HIV …. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/no-christmas-gift-for-gsk-fda-sends-long-acting-hiv-injectable-back-to-work
Lime electric-assist bikes to launch in London – The Irish …. https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/technology/2018/12/06/news/lime-electric-assist-bikes-to-launch-in-london-1502732/

Is the world ready for an HIV vaccine?

Nearly four decades after HIV was discovered, scientists are cautiously optimistic; they are almost a vaccine effective enough to roll out on a fantastic scale. The end product from advanced vaccine trials is required inside the coming years.

But even when an efficient vaccine is present — would be the world in a position to roll it?

That is a question some researchers and advocates are asking, warning the fact that the global health community needs to lay the groundwork in expectation of good results, as a way to avoid delays of a vaccine rollout and consequently increased infections which could happen to prevent with a vaccine.

“Here is the epidemic of our time, and we will probably be meant how we handle this.”

— Dr. Larry Corey, principal investigator, HVTN

A beneficial, timely rollout considering the vaccine would require discussions and collaboration amongst the global health community and potential manufacturers of one’s vaccine, and also increased resources — starting now, researchers said this month with the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa in Rwanda.

“People are here, tangled with the science and daily grind, hoping for a safe and effective vaccine. Though it’s important to start thinking about: Supposing it works? Are we prepared to take it forward essentially?” said Dr. Simba Takuva, regional medical liaison for Sub-Saharan Africa for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.

Should a successful vaccine can be found, it is going to be the foremost complicated vaccine life has ever seen, based on HIV vaccine researchers, clearly as the virus has high levels of mutations and different strains can be found globally.

While prospects of finding a cure for HIV are more elusive, some researchers also argue that the time has come even to start planning for getting a rollout.

“This is actually the epidemic of our own time, and then we will be defined by how we handle this,” said Dr. Larry Corey, principal investigator at HVTN.

Awaiting vaccine trial results

The HIV crisis, which began in the early 1980s, has claimed the lives of about 32 million people globally.

While there is a tool kit of prevention and treatment for your options HIV, life will likely not eradicate the virus without a vaccine, Corey said.

More on HIV/AIDS

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► Opinion: We cannot meet the 2020 AIDS targets. Now what?

► The impact of Mozambique’s cyclones on its HIV population

But the complexity of a given HIV has stumped scientists finishing up a vaccine over the years. There’s no natural immune response to model a vaccine, animal studies of one’s vaccine have failed, the HIV lacks an average responds to the vaccines, it features a high mutation rate, and different subtypes of HIV occur globally.

In 2009, the first time, researchers in Thailand published success with a trial whereby a vaccine showed protection against HIV. Yet the security wasn’t sufficient, and of course, the duration of the shield wasn’t for long, to bring it into the market. To respond, researchers embarked on new vaccine trials, working to build off these gains.

Now, there are three advanced vaccine trials. Results from two of the vaccine trials are required in 2022.

Any time a vaccine is located at least 50% efficient — the percent lowering of the contraction of the disease in vaccinated individuals compared to people not vaccinated — it could trigger efforts to license a vaccine and, after that, roll it outside.

If any of such vaccines show above 50% efficacy within the years to come, it would be on the market is slightly less than years, Corey said.

“It is inspiring times, so we need to be prepared for the outcome — be it failure or success,” said Roger Tatoud, deputy director of vaccines in HIV programs and advocacy with the International AIDS Society.

Amid a rollout, scientists go on to seek to improve levels and duration of protection against HIV for future system a vaccine, along with conduct “bridging” studies, for instance testing out the safety considering the vaccine when assigned to adolescents.

But rolling out vaccinations has historically been marred by delays in areas just like the regulatory process, community sensitization, and obtaining funds.

Rolling around the area of a malaria vaccine, for instance, experienced delays. After partial efficacy considering the vaccine was present in 2014, GlaxoSmithKline, along with its partners have “been navigating complex regulatory and implementation planning processes,” based on a recent article in The Lancet, which says the widespread rollout of the vaccine is years away and demands more funding.

“It is exhilarating times, and then we need to be aware of the outcome — such as failure or success.”

Laying the groundwork when it comes to the large-scale manufacturing of the vaccine is crucial; HIV vaccine researchers told Devex.

“Making a product consistently with countless doses along with excellent quality is not an excellent job,” Corey said.

Before the efficacy regarding a vaccine is considered, the worldwide health community can start conversations about how exactly many individuals to vaccinate and more to engage with potential manufacturers of what pricing could look like at different levels of efficacy, researchers said.

With the assistance of health economists and disease modelers, the worldwide health community can result in a business case to convince potential manufacturers that buying in the vaccine is smart financially, said Linda-Gail Bekker, deputy director considering the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre along at the University of Cape Town.

This may also include conversations around funding with organizations just like the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Conference call: So what happened for the Global Fund replenishment? (Pro)

After the flurry of last-minute commitments, the worldwide Fund narrowly surpassed its $14 billion targets. Devex journalists see how the replenishment conference in Lyon unfolded — as well as what it indicates for the future of world health financing.

“If you consider the malaria vaccine… this was not so that the European Medicines Agency approved it which the company came to us as funders, throughout at the Global Fund, and said we want $20 million to start out implementing research — We don’t just have $20 million available. You need to think for this, it’s important to have these items deemed and planned,” said Mark Dybul, former executive director considering the Global Fund, in a press conference this month in Kigali.

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The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, currently housed at the International AIDS Society, is an efficient platform to help facilitate these conversations and produce stakeholders together, according to HIV vaccine researchers.

Challenges with distribution and stigma

Beyond arranging for manufacturing, you will find questions about the condition of the healthcare sector that would distribute a vaccine.

One of the many vaccines under trial includes six doses, repeated every several years. No other brand of vaccines on the earth requires that many treatments, based on HIV vaccine researchers. This concerns some in the global health community about whether communities would adhere to law enforcement, which works full-time path of doses.

“Even when we have met a 50% efficacy, could we go ahead with a vaccine that would involve six doses?” Bekker asked.

Researchers may need to improve the potency, to decrease the number of doses, Corey said.

The worldwide health community can get started discussing now which high-risk groups to focus on initially because blanket targeting could well be too costly, HIV vaccine researchers said.

“The shortage of existing healthcare programs that target lots of the populations that will very likely be prioritized to receive an HIV vaccine poses a considerable challenge,” based on a short article inside the Lancet.

Starting conversations on dealing with stigma may also be crucial per researcher.

“If you do, in fact, target higher-risk populations, it will stigmatize a vaccine that requires widespread distribution,” Bekker said.

Targeting adolescents may be challenging mainly because it involves conversations about sex, she confirmed.

The worldwide health community should make into mind lessons that are caused by the roll out from the HPV vaccine, which targets adolescents, based on researchers. In certain countries, the HPV vaccine was framed for being vaccine targeting a sexually transmitted infection as well as in other nations; the newcomer was framed for being vaccine prevents cervical cancer.

“Countries that deployed it as a cancer vaccine didn’t meet many of the resistance rather than other nations where they deployed is an STI vaccine,” Bekker said.

Getting ready for relief from

Prospects of a cure are less tangible than those to obtain the vaccine. However, that does not make it smart, so a growing number of researchers and advocates are likewise asking for conversations to start toward the rollout of the cure.

This can include engagement, particularly for the community-level, Dybul said, to visualize salespersons would reply to a cure and initiate implementing that feedback into its design.

An initial conversation was held in February in California, where about 30 members of the HIV scientific, pharmaceutical, funding, and NGO communities met to discuss the rollout associated with a potential cure sooner or later. Out from the meeting, a public-private partnership called the HIV Cure Acceleration for Africa was founded including representatives inside the fields of study and development, regulatory agencies, health care implementers, civil society, and potential funders that aim to hasten the creation of a cure similarly and confirm the broadest possible access.

A working group was also developed to create a “target product profile” to reflect what characteristics associated with a product would make it widely acceptable for communities to form. The functional group will examine areas such as which populations to focus on, the costs regarding a future cure, plus how it may be targeted at communities. The functional group includes representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, research institutions, advocacy groups, and potential funders.

“The aim is two-fold, so we can move as fast as is possible as products become available because everyone’s been engaged right from the start. But also, to make sure that there could be feedback, the population can modify their approach dictated by conversations,” Dybul said.

One reason behind these conversations would be to avoid community resistance during the roll from relief from, Dybul said. The web in the early days of antiretroviral therapy for HIV, there is protection from the pills for reasons including concerns that these pills were killing people instead of treating them, he explained. The reason being communities weren’t engaged with the early conversations.

Author Resource Box:

Is the world ready for an HIV vaccine? | Devex. https://www.devex.com/news/is-the-world-ready-for-an-hiv-vaccine-96186

Making History: Potter County’s First Female Judge. https://countyprogress.com/making-history-potter-countys-first-female-judge/

Even with early treatment, HIV still attacks young brains, study says

Many children living with HIV today are in sub-Saharan Africa. While early antiretroviral therapy, or ART, has ensured less deadly outcomes for little ones managing and subject to HIV, studies show the HIV most likely will prohibit the brain. HIV may disrupt neurodevelopment, affecting how children learn, reason operates.

 To get some inspiration Michael Boivin, professor, and director of a Psychiatry Research Program within the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, began to understand how HIV impacts children’s neuropsychological development inside a two-year longitudinal study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

 the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases supported partially The investigation, part of the National Institutes of Health.

 Boivin, with his fantastic colleagues, tested the neuropsychological creation of three teams of children aged 5 to 11: those that acquired HIV and were treated with ART, those exposed but HIV-negative, and those who were never revealed. The analysis occurred at six study sites across four countries in sub-Saharan Africa to get a robust view of how HIV is affecting children within the region.

 To this point, it is the first well-validated, multi-site neuropsychological exploration of African school-aged children affected by HIV.

 What your researchers discovered through various assessments was that even dealing with early treatment and excellent clinical care, you can still find significant neuropsychological problems for children living with HIV.

“These children came straight into the study by using a deficit when compared with their counterparts,” Boivin said. “It stayed about the same across the three years, except in the most critical area: reasoning and planning. Regarding that specific test domain, the babies coping with HIV failed to progress.”

 The gap between infected and HIV-negative children grew inside the planning and reasoning area in the study period., these abilities are likely to blossom in the school-aged years in healthy children.

 “This is the most important cognitive function for the future of children managing HIV concerning their likelihood of taking their medications, making good decisions, abstaining from risky behaviors like early sexual activity, psychosocial issues, and school-related achievement,” Boivin said.

 Conclusions? Early medical treatment, started as far back half a year legal, will not be a sufficient amount to address the neurocognitive deficits linked to HIV, even though it help keep children alive cleanse that they would be without treatment. In these children, treatment ought to be started even earlier to strengthen long-term neurocognitive outcomes.

 “Our company will complement the long-term care and assist with actual behavioral interventions,” Boivin said.

 That’s something Boivin with his fantastic colleagues is performing work on. Only, Boivin received a 5-year, $3.2 million NIH grant to keep going he collaborated with children touched by HIV in Uganda and Malawi.

 Using this grant, researchers will investigate how MSU-developed computer cognitive games will serve as tools for neurocognitive evaluation, enrichment, and rehabilitation.

 Boivin hopes the fact that the results of each of the studies can help do this model of neuropsychological evaluation, a considered area of the cost-benefit.

Author Resource Box:

[Health] – Even with early treatment, HIV still attacks …. https://www.reddit.com/r/SDauto/comments/ecvozl/health_even_with_early_treatment_hiv_still/

Even with early treatment, HIV still attacks young brains …. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191218090208.htm

Admissions – College of Osteopathic Medicine – Michigan …. https://com.msu.edu/Admissions/index.htm

CDC Report: Drug Costs Linking to Nonadherence in People With HIV

As stated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans pay 14% of their prescription drug costs away from pocket each year, as well as having the United States spends more per capita on pharmaceuticals compared to any high-income country in the world. High expenses help contribute to some magnitude of nonadherence among patients generally. Little information exists about the impact of financial barriers on adherence for those living with HIV specifically.

A study presented in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates from 2016 to 17, 14% of individuals coping with HIV have used a drug-cost saving strategy, and 7% have found cost saving-related nonadherence.

The CDC’s Medical Monitoring Project analyzed national representative surveillance data on medical care, behaviors, and clinical outcomes among adults with HIV infection. Data were collected through medical record abstraction and also in-person and telephone interviews between June 2016-May 2017. Investigators weighted data for unequal selection probabilities and nonresponse.

Assembling data from 3948 people taking pharmaceuticals, the prevalence of prescription drug cost-saving strategies among those existing with HIV was estimated overall and with sociodemographic characteristics. Investigators also assessed differences in clinical outcomes between those that did and did not need cost-saving related nonadherence.

Questions pertained to 6 different kinds of cost-saving strategies. Patients reported whether they had asked a clinician for getting a lower-cost medication, used alternative therapies, bought over-the-counter drugs from another country, skipped doses, taken less medication, or delayed filling a prescription owing to cost. Those interviewed were asked concerning over-the-counter drugs, not solely antiretrovirals.

Cost-saving nonadherence was qualified by having used the cost-saving strategies of skipping doses, taking less medication, or delaying a prescription as a consequence of cost.

Care engagement and viral suppression were abstracted from medical records. Individuals interviewed were also asked if they needed but had not received medication beginning with the Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) to enquire unmet needs.

Considering the approximately 14% of USA citizens with HIV who had used a medication cost-saving strategy, 4% had skipped doses, 4% took less medicine, and 6% had delayed a prescription. Within the categories found with him not considered directly nonadherent, 9% had asked clinicians for lower-cost medicine, 1% had bought medication from another country, and 2% used alternative medicine.

Household income above the poverty line was associated with nonadherence simply because of prescription drug costs, with 8.3% reporting nonadherence above the poverty line ($12,490 since 2019), concerning 5.3% below the poverty line.

“Persons with incomes above the poverty level might not apply for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program as well as assistance programs which can reduce medication costs,” the authors of one’s report wrote.

Those that reported unmet requirement for medication through ADAP were around five times in a better position to be nonadherent as a consequence of cost than individuals who received ADAP.

People existing with HIV who reported cost-saving related nonadherence were more unlikely to get virally suppressed over at their newest viral load test (64%) than individuals that didn’t report cost-saving related nonadherence (76%). Nonadherence related to drug cost was also associated with lower HIV care engagement rates and even more emergency department visits.

The more occurrence of costly hospitalizations and lower viral suppression rates (increasing likelihood of HIV transmission) among those who were nonadherent due to prescription drug costs demonstrate that cost-related nonadherence presents a broad social need with most stakeholders.

Inside a recent interview concerning upcoming long-acting antiretroviral therapies, Carlos del Rio, MD, FIDSA, Co-director for the Emory Center for AIDS research, claimed that clinicians must take cost seriously when treating HIV.

Author Resource Box:

CDC Report: Drug Costs Leading to Nonadherence in People …. https://www.contagionlive.com/news/cdc-report-drug-costs-leading-to-nonadherence-in-people-with-hiv

Could this be a secure method for the Trump administration to end HIV/AIDS?

The Trump administration announced last week a brand new program that will provide HIV prevention medications without charge for uninsured patients. This pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) drugs are effective in preventing HIV, but with a cost of $2,000 a month, they’re far too expensive for people without insurance. This new program will provide PrEP at no cost for as much as 200,000 uninsured patients. Supporters have lauded this move being a significant step toward President Trump’s intention to end HIV in the United States. Others have criticized it as not going far enough: They would rather the govt expedite generic drug production and lower the price of PrEP. AD Both are missing an important point: Free or reduced-cost drugs may have no impact if patients can’t access them. The rural South is a growing epicenter for HIV, but as the South makes up about most new HIV diagnoses, it has a quarter of all PrEP-providing clinics. In West Virginia, only 27 percent of the state’s rural counties offer any HIV prevention services. In North Carolina, just two considering the state’s 85 local health departments reported to researchers last year they prescribed PrEP. In Mississippi, patients have taken to bring in three or more hours to access the one health center that dispenses 80 percent of all PrEP pills within the state. And that’s when the patient knows to question for PrEP. Only half of most uninsured patients have a regular supply of medical care.

Image result for pre-exposure prophylaxis

Patients are at high risk of contracting HIV are by far less more likely to do so since they often possess by him marginalized communities that have deep distrust considering the medical system. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that while African Americans account for 44 percent of individuals who would be eligible for PrEP, they make up for only 11 percent among those on PrEP. African American men who have sex with men possess a 1-in-2 lifetime risk of contracting HIV, yet it includes only 26 percent on PrEP (in comparison with 42 percent of the white peers). Without concerted outreach efforts to these vulnerable communities, the promise of free drugs won’t translate to patients taking them.

The administration’s new program covers only medications themselves. The medical appointment to get the prescription isn’t covered, nor are lab tests or ongoing care. CDC guidelines require that patients undergo multiple blood tests before starting PrEP, and after that, regular testing every three months while on it. Regarding the uninsured, these tests cost hundreds of dollars a year and can price patients from PrEP care. Versus giving free medications to certain uninsured people, a more exceptional solution is helping these patients get health insurance. Medicaid already covers 42 percent of adults with HIV (in comparison with 13 percent of the general adult population), and patients on state Medicaid programs receive coverage not only for PrEP and HIV drug therapies but other comprehensive services such as lab testing, care coordination, and community-based services. Admittance to these public insurance programs is essential for prevention. The federal Ryan White program, which funds cities and states to care for low-income people with HIV, supports only those already diagnosed with HIV. It does not help individuals who could be prevented from getting HIV and does not cover PrEP. Expanding Medicaid to those at high risk for HIV would allow them to receive PrEP and insurance for it the other services they need. 

Patients also need more places to access HIV prevention and treatment. An integral access point is clinics funded by the Title X family planning program. Of the 4,000 Title X clinics throughout the country, 90% provide HIV testing, and a third offer PrEP. These clinics serve low-income patients in rural and underserved areas but now are threatened with closure because of Trump administration’s new Title X restrictions. When the Trump administration wants to achieve its aim of eradicating HIV, it is required to end harmful policies for example the Title X gag rule. And instead of dismantling the Affordable Care Act, it should support state-based Medicaid expansion. It is required to remove discriminatory policies for example the conscience rule and the public charge rule that further stigmatize LGBTQ, minority and immigrant populations that already face the best barriers to care. The Trump administration’s free medication program distracts from the real challenges of HIV prevention and treatment. Pills are no panacea when patients can’t access them in the first place, and after that can’t afford the rest of the health care which comes besides treatment. The administration has got the power to fulfill its promise to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but it must start with an honest study of its existing policies. Otherwise, it will keep making tiny steps forward against a backdrop of giant steps backward.

Author Resource Box:

A better way for the Trump administration to end HIV/AIDS. https://hagerstownairport.org/2019/12/09/a-better-way-for-the-trump-administration-to-end-hiv-aids/
Quality healthcare services offered for LGBT community in …. https://vietnamnews.vn/society/483418/quality-healthcare-services-offered-for-lgbt-community-in-hcm-city.html

HIV’s Ties to Age-Related Illnesses


A brand new medical literature review has identified a roster of aging-related medical conditions linked to HIV. The researchers reviewed 20 studies that covered HIV’s potential link to 55 health outcomes.

sand in hourglass

They found that four aging-related outcomes had a statistically significant association with HIV, in other words connection is not likely to have been driven by chance. Some of these are shortness of breath, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, a chronic inflammatory lung disease that obstructs airflow towards the lungs), anemia and bone fractures.

Two additional aging-related conditions had a highly statistically significant association with HIV: cough and ischemic cardio disease (a narrowing of the arteries that offer the center).

“With the boost in life span of those existing with HIV, there’s an increase in mature workers living with the condition of the property,” says the study’s lead author, Lee Smith, PhD, of the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences in England. “In this regard, lifestyle issues are becoming a lot more important in this population as they simply seem to be disproportionately influenced by noncommunicable chronic diseases.”

Author Resource Box:
https://www.poz.com/article/hivs-ties-agerelated-illnesses

Did you know HIV from a hug is a fallacy? Misinformation persists among young Americans, study finds.

Image result for HIV

It has been four decades since the first AIDS cases were reported when looking at the U.S., but stigma against HIV-positive people persists, among younger Americans who was not alive throughout the early — and darkest — days of this epidemic.

A survey released Monday found that over one fourth (28 percent) of HIV-negative millennials have avoided hugging, speaking with or becoming friends with someone aided by the virus. Thirty percent said they would prefer never to engage at all with individuals who possess HIV.

Sponsored by Merck plus the Prevention Access Campaign, the report also unearthed that 23 percent of HIV-negative millennials — and 41 percent of HIV-negative Gen Z respondents — admitted these people were “not at all” informed or “only somewhat” informed about HIV. Half of the HIV-negative respondents, who were all 18 to 36, said they believed a person whose viral load was undetectable could possibly transmit the HIV virus. (It cannot based on multiple studies.)

HIV can only be contracted by getting into direct contact with certain body fluids, like blood and semen, from an individual with HIV who has a detectable viral load, in line with the U.S. Department of health insurance and Human Services.

Author’s resource box: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/hiv-hug-misinformation-persists-among-young-americans-study-finds-n1090556?cid=public-rss_20191126

Do you know how HIV affects your body?

Image result for HIV

HIV doesn’t just affect your immune system. The virus can harm other parts of your respective body, too. Also, the medication you have taken as a treatment for HIV can have adverse effects. You will have to watch for trouble and have steps to avoid or slow the harm.

Eyes
Some eye issues are mild, while some can be severe adequate to cause blindness. One of the most common are infections, which can lead to bleeding in the retina (the tissue at the back of your eye) and retinal detachment. About 7 out of 10, those with advanced AIDS will have issues with their eyes.

You may not have any symptoms until the problems are far along, therefore if you have got advanced HIV, it is essential to get regular eye exams. And call your doctor when your vision changes, including:
You will have blurry or double vision or colors don’t look right. You notice spots. You have got watery or red eyes. You’re aware of the light. Your eyes hurt.

Heart
Several things raise your chance of heart-related problems. Because HIV affects your immune system, the body will be inflamed as it tries to fight the infection, just like a constant low simmer. This kind of inflammation has been linked to cardio disease.

Some drugs you take for HIV can also make the cardiac disease more likely. They could cause insulin resistance, which raises your odds of diabetes, and problems breaking up fats. And such result in cardio disease. You would possibly take more medicines to control your diabetes and cholesterol. Follow instructions for your prescriptions carefully.
If you smoke, quit.

Consume several fruits and vegetables, a lot of healthy grains, and omega-3 fatty acids. Choose lean cuts of meat and low-fat cheese. Exercise, like a brisk walk, for 20-30 minutes most days.
If you are genuinely carrying extra body weight, losing as cheap as 5 or 10 pounds could make a huge difference.

Renal organs
Hypertension and diabetes are significant causes of kidney disease. The healthy eating habits and regular exercise that’s suitable for your heart will also help keep a person’s blood pressure and blood sugar in check, which will help protect your kidneys, too.

Some HIV medications may cause kidney damage. In the event you already have kidney problems, your doctor will want to avoid those drugs or sustain a close eye on their effects.

Your health care provider will need to check your kidneys regularly because indications of kidney disease may not be visible. Routine blood tests can check your kidneys.

Liver

Some HIV medications also have liver-damaging side effects. Many people with HIV even have some hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver.
Be kind to your liver: Limit your alcohol intake, and you should not use recreational drugs. Diabetes, high cholesterol or triglycerides, and being overweight can lead to fatty liver disease, so watch the extra carbs, fats, and calories. Talk to your doctor about vaccinations against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B. There isn’t any vaccine against Hepatitis C. However; you need to have tested for it. Get regular blood liver tests to catch any liver problems early.

Bones

People with HIV are likely to lose bone a lot faster than healthy people. The bone may get brittle and could break more easily. Your hips, especially, may hurt and feel weak. It may be from the virus itself or even the inflammation it causes, medicines you have taken to fight HIV or related illnesses (like steroids or antacids), or an unhealthy lifestyle. It would also be coming from a d deficiency, which is common in persons with HIV.

To help preserve the bone:
Make sure you get an adequate amount of calcium and Vitamin D. Exercise such that put weight using your bones, like walking or doing strength training. Don’t smoke and limit your alcohol intake. Ask your doctor to examine your vitamin D level. Ask your doctor if it is recommended to take supplements or other medications to help the bone.

Brain
If you have got advanced HIV, you’re very likely to get infections that could cause inflammation in your brain and spinal cord. That could lead to confusion and other thinking problems, along with weakness, headaches, seizures, and balance problems.

When AIDS is extremely far along, you will get dementia and have problems remembering things.
Having HIV could also affect your mental health. Many individuals living with it have depression or anxiety.
Try to stay as healthy as possible. Take your medications as prescribed, and let your health care provider know about any new symptoms or changes.

Author’s Resource box:

https://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/hiv-your-body#2