Becuase Everything Else Sucks

New Advancement in HIV Treatment

By Manila Ryce
Published Monday, October 22nd, 2007, 2:11 pm
Filed under: Health, Science and Technology, World Issues

Professor Jens Lundgren from the University of Copenhagen, along with other members of EuroSIDA, have successfully demonstrated that by maintaining their course of “combination therapy” treatment, the immune systems of HIV-infected patients can be restored and normalized as the virus itself is prevented from mutating and spreading.

HIV attaches itself to CD4+T lymphocytes, which are white blood corpuscles that help the immune system fight infection. HIV mutates constantly, making it near impossible to develop a cure of vaccine. Combination therapy actually prevents mutation, allowing healthy CD4+T cell counts to rise. The immune system is then able to normalize itself if the combination therapy is continued.

Though a patient on the therapy would still have HIV, the improvement of their immune system would mean that they are no longer displaying the symptoms of the virus.

source

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8 Responses to “New Advancement in HIV Treatment”

  1. This is truly an amazing advancement in medicine. However, this “combination treatment,” aka: “cocktail therapy,” really isn’t new. In fact, early case studies as long as a decade ago converted AIDS, at least in 1st world countries like the US, from a deadly disease to a chronic illness.

    Don’t get your hopes up anytime soon for AIDS ridden Africa. Mortality rates will remain steady there for a long time to come.

    PapaFigue
    10/22/07 at 6:04 pm

  2. I have a grapefruit in the back of my refrigerator that looks just like that.

    moondancer
    10/22/07 at 8:03 pm

  3. Like PF said, this isn’t really new. Combination therapy, or HAART made it’s debut back in 1997. The cocktails have surely become more powerful in recent years, but viral resistance is still a problem for many patients over time.

    That said, Denmark seems to be at the forefront of fighting HIV. A group of scientists there published a study several months ago stating that the median life expectancy for people with newly contracted HIV was now about 38 years, which is pretty fantastic.

    But the cost of the drugs and the greedy pharmaceutical companies basically guarantee not everyone will have access to the medication. Even in the US, free meds are not available to most patients.

    Andy
    10/22/07 at 10:39 pm

  4. True, combination therapy is not new, but this particular result of near neutralization is. It’s also true that those who need it most will be denied treatment due to astronomical prices. Money trumps life. Eventually the cost will come down, but never enough for those in Africa (as Papa said). As for the grapefruit, perhaps moondancer can get some penicillin from it while we’re on the topic of medicine.

    Manila Ryce
    10/22/07 at 11:57 pm

  5. Just for reference, there’s a summary of the study I mentioned here:
    http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/recent/2007/012607_a.html

    One of the highlights:
    “- For HIV-infected individuals, survival increased to 32.5 years during the period 2000-2005 (the early HAART era).

    - In a subgroup that excluded the 16% of HIV positive individuals with known hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection, median survival was 38.9 years during this same period.”

    That’s pretty good. But we need more leaders who are willing to actively fight HIV, not these abstinence pushers like GW.

    Andy
    10/23/07 at 12:33 am

  6. This is NOT new. And it is a false hope… even if you reach that non-detectable stage… one or two slips and Bam! it’s back. I try not to be a pessimist, but this is nothing to get excited about. I know of which I speak… been there; done that! Several years ago I went from a high level of virus in my system to non-detectable status, only to plunge right back into it again…

    It’s not like once you reach this plateau, you’re good to go… you have to take 15, 16, or more pills each and every day sometimes more than once a day to perpetuate that status… and who knows what it’s doing to your system in the long run.

    We can’t let down our guard and think, “Oh well, it been taken care of.” It hasn’t. AIDS still kills.

    Lots more research is needed.

    Rowdy
    10/23/07 at 12:50 pm

  7. @Rowdy:
    No one said this was a cure. Honestly, I don’t think there will ever be a cure. I’m sure you have to struggle, and you must go through things that those of us without HIV couldn’t imagine. But at least in the USA, as long as your bitch-insurance covers it, you can live longer and better as long as you stick to the treatment.

    So you can belly ache about taking all those pills, and whine that there’ll never be a cure. Or you can shut up and stick to the treatment, and try to enjoy the rest of you long, long life.

    Or you can quit, and die. Painfully. There are plenty of Religious Wackjobs out there who wouldn’t bat an eyelash. In fact, they’re just as pissed off as you are about this treatment, though for different, but equally stupid, reasons.

    PapaFigue
    10/24/07 at 5:22 am

  8. ‘enjoy your long, long life’

    A life where your dreams are shattered, you can’t have kids or get a new girlfriend. You have side effects to drugs and you destroy the life of yourself and your family.

    I don’t think it’s much fun yet for most who are affected - I know some people have a ‘its your own fault anyway’ attitude but everyone makes mistakes

    Catching HIV is a very very bad one

    Craig
    07/15/08 at 6:43 am

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