Fact Sheets: Treatment OptionsDecember 1, 1999 A note from TheBody.com: The field of medicine is constantly evolving. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information! The Good NewsNew treatments for HIV have slowed the rate of progression from initial infection to a diagnosis of AIDS. As a result, the number of new AIDS cases and AIDS-related deaths has dropped dramatically, while an increasing number of people who are HIV-positive are living longer and healthier lives.However. . .There is still no cure. And while some who use drug combination therapy do very well and feel healthy, others develop substantial side effects and may not be able to stay on one or more of their medications. For still others, the combination therapy simply does not work. Many find the new drug regimens too demanding to take correctly, even though not doing so weakens the benefits of taking the drug. In addition, these drugs are very expensive. Many people who do not have adequate health insurance cannot afford the average cost of $12,000 or more per year for drug combination therapy. Because the new combination therapies have been studied for only 3-4 years, their long-term effectiveness is unknown. Also undetermined is the safety of taking these drugs for many years and possibly for the rest of an individual's life. There may be health consequences. Staying Healthy LongerPeople who are HIV-positive can live healthy, productive lives for many years. A person infected with HIV can do many things to help stay healthy longer:
Viral Load TestsViral load is the concentration of HIV circulating in the blood of an individual infected with HIV. Physicians use viral load testing in conjunction with CD4 cell counts to monitor the progress of the HIV and to help decide when or if to change medications. Viral load tests help health care providers more accurately predict what might happen if the current treatment program is maintained. Currently, the goal is to keep the level of HIV in the blood at an undetectable level. An undetectable level of HIV in the blood does not mean that someone is no longer infected with HIV. It simply means that the viral load is below the level that is detectable by current viral load tests. Drug Combination TherapiesDrug combination therapies are often referred to as "highly active antiretroviral therapies" (HAART). HAART is also referred to as "drug cocktails" and includes drugs such as protease inhibitors. Researchers and clinical staff are very hopeful about this type of combination therapy. These drug combinations have been more effective than any of the other previously available therapies. Risks of Non-complianceIt is important not to underestimate the complexity of the new drug treatments. It is very challenging to take all of the medications at the correct times throughout the day and in the correct manner. However, people who take their medications correctly every day have the best chance of reaching and sustaining an undetectable viral load and having the best treatment outcomes. People who miss doses of any of their medications may put themselves at risk for developing drug-resistant strains of HIV. An HIV-positive person may need to maintain a complicated treatment regimen for many years or for the rest of his or her life. Helping HIV Medications Work BetterPeople are better able to take their medications as prescribed if they limit their alcohol intake. People who are working and leading active lives also need to plan ahead to be sure they make time to take their medications exactly as prescribed. Taking each medication correctly every time and every day helps the body fight HIV more effectively. Preventing Transmission from Mother to InfantRecent research suggests that women with higher viral loads are more likely to bear a child with the virus. Pregnant women who are living with HIV can reduce the risk of transmission to the fetus by taking zidovudine (also called ZDV or AZT) during pregnancy. Because HIV can be transmitted through breast milk, the baby of an HIV-positive mother should not be breast-fed. No medications are currently available that prevent the transmission of HIV during breast-feeding. Nevirapine is another drug currently being studied, and preliminary results indicate it may be even more effective than zidovudine. Because nevirapine is active in the body for a long time, one dose given at the onset of labor combined with one dose given to the infant within 3 days after birth significantly reduced the risk of mother-infant transmission in clinical trials in Uganda. The low cost of nevirapine (about $4 per treatment) and the short treatment course give nevirapine the potential for widespread use because it removes the cost barriers many developing regions of the world face in terms of providing health care. Opportunistic InfectionsDepending on the CD4 count, an individual infected with HIV may be at increased risk for developing other diseases due to a weakened immune system. These diseases are called "opportunistic infections" because having a weakened immune system gives these infections a greater opportunity to develop. Some possible opportunistic infections include tuberculosis, pneumonia, cytomegalovirus (CMV), toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis. HIV and TuberculosisBecause HIV infection severely weakens the immune system, people dually infected with HIV and TB have a much greater risk of developing active TB disease and becoming infectious compared to people not infected with HIV. In fact, over the last five years, 33% of the increase in reported TB cases worldwide is due to HIV/AIDS.
AnemiaAnemia is an abnormally low level of red blood cells and is a common complication of HIV/AIDS and its treatments. As many as 80 percent of people living with HIV will develop anemia during the course of their disease, and recent studies indicate that anemia is associated with an increased risk of death. Anemia can be caused by the virus itself or by certain HIV/AIDS treatments that suppress the bone marrow, among other factors. It can be diagnosed by a routine red blood cell count to check hemoglobin levels. Symptoms include fatigue, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, pale skin color and a tendency to feel cold. There are a variety of treatments available, including medications that can stimulate bone marrow to produce red blood cells and increase hemoglobin levels. Patients should discuss treatment options with their physician. Clinical TrialsThe search goes on for more effective and less complicated treatment regimens. For information about drugs undergoing clinical trials, contact the AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service at 800-874-2572. Information is available in both English and Spanish. Table of Contents A note from TheBody.com: The field of medicine is constantly evolving. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information! ![]()
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