Liver cancer, heart disease, counts, resistance - TheBody.com's Bulletin Boards

Generally, people develop resistance to Sustiva quickly since only one protein needs to mutate in the virus to render the drug ineffective. Monitor your counts closely and ask your doctor for a resistance panel if your counts change for the worse. Viral load should decrease logarithmically to undectable over a six month period, if they don't the meds are likely not working. A logarthimic curve is roughly the opposite of an exponetional curve, decreasing by an increasing amount over time. CD4 counts should increase by roughly the same percentage as the viral load decreases. How much should the change or differential be? Hard to know, but if the trend line on both CD4 and viral load is only slighly curved, there may be trouble with your meds.

Also watch closely your liver function levels, amylase/lipase levels, cholesterol levels and blood pressure levels. Persistant upward ticks or for blood pressure a sudden drop, that lasts for six months or more may be a sign of trouble and you should ask your doctor if an abdominal sonogram or CT scan is necessary.

Researchers are beginning to find that long term HIV infection treated with HAART and the incidence of liver cancer/heart disease are highly correlated (i.e. there is a significant statistical relationship). Liver cancer is very rare in the US accounting for less than 1% of total cancers. The relationship is unproven, since many long term HIV+ people, those infected 15 years or more, are older and the uptick in liver cancer/heart disease may be a function of age. Researchers have found that HIV+ people smoke and drink more than the HIV- population, so that may explain the correlation as well. Smoking and drinking damage the liver, pancreas, and heart. Lung cancer is more prevalent in the HIV+ population than in the HIV- population, perhaps caused by the higher incidence of smoking in the HIV+ population.

I have been HIV+ for 21 years or more and have been on meds off and on since 1994. I am a light smoker (less than ten fags a week, and drink only on Friday night. I have developed multiple liver lesions, which upon review showed in my liver function tests years ago. Also my cardiogram shows signs of "poor progression" which indicates damage to the heart muscle. My amylas/lipase levels are elevated which may indicate my pancreas is stressed. Long term taking of Videx (DDI) has been proven to induce pancreatitis. I took DDI from 1997 to 2002, and Videx from 2004 to 2005.

Since my bout with pancreatitis two months ago and the discovery of my liver abnormalities, I have given up both drinking and smoking.

It is vital if you've been infected for 15 years or more and have been on meds ten years or more, that you monitor your liver, pancreas, and heart functions.

Demand the tests, and if the insurance or the doctors refuse, raise a ruckus.

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