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Age may predict response to HIV treatment |
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Friday, 01 August 2008 |
How old you are determines, in part, how you respond to HIV therapy, according to the results of a vast cohort study including almost 50,000 HIV-positive people. The results, published in the July 31st issue of the journal AIDS, confirms that older people generally have better viral suppression than their younger counterparts, but often show a poorer immune response. Young people with HIV face different challenges, from rapid disease progression during infancy to relatively poor adherence during adolescence.
Evidence of the impact of age on response to antiretroviral therapy is inconsistent and scarce. Studies comparing younger and older adults show contradictory effects on virologic and immunologic response. And no study has compared the effect of antiretroviral treatment on children versus adults.
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Meditation slows progression of HIV |
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Monday, 28 July 2008 |
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Reducing stress can bolster immune system in HIV-positive adults, others, says eurekalert press release
CD4+ T lymphocytes, or simply CD4 T cells, are the "brains" of the immune system, coordinating its activity when the body comes under attack. They are also the cells that are attacked by HIV, the devastating virus that causes AIDS and has infected roughly 40 million people worldwide. The virus slowly eats away at CD4 T cells, weakening the immune system. But the immune systems of HIV/AIDS patients face another enemy as well — stress, which can accelerate CD4 T cell declines. Now, researchers at UCLA report that the practice of mindfulness meditation stopped the decline of CD4 T cells in HIV-positive patients suffering from stress, slowing the progression of the disease. The study was just released in the online edition of the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Mindfulness meditation is the practice of bringing an open and receptive awareness of the present moment to experiences, avoiding thinking of the past or worrying about the future. It is thought to reduce stress and improve health outcomes in a variety of patient populations.
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HIV drugs 'add 13 years of life' |
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Friday, 25 July 2008 |
 Researchers said it meant HIV was now effectively a chronic condition like diabetes, rather than a fatal disease, the Lancet reported. The team, involving Bristol University staff, looked at over 43,000 patients. The study found a person now diagnosed at 20 years old could expect to live for another 49 years. But the Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration, which includes scientists from across Europe and Northern America, warned this was still short of the life expectancy for the wider population which stands at about 80. Antiretroviral treatment for HIV consists of drugs which work against the infection itself by slowing down the replication of the virus in the body. This method of therapy was introduced in the 1990s, but has since become more effective and better tolerated. The researchers looked at life expectancy during three time periods after the introduction of the drugs - 1996-9, 2000-2 and 2003-5 - in high income countries. Just over 2,000 patients died during the study periods. |
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