Medical News HIV/AIDS Experts, Doctors Voice Concerns About Health Problems Seen Among Long-Term HIV/AIDS SurvivorsJanuary 7, 2008 Some experts and doctors recently have voiced concerns that people who were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the early years of the epidemic are experiencing "prematur[e]" or "disproportionate numbers" of ailments associated with aging, the New York Times reports. CDC estimates show that the number of people ages 50 and older living with HIV increased by 77% between 2001 and 2005 and that this population now represents more than 25% of all HIV/AIDS cases in the U.S. The "graying of the AIDS epidemic" has raised interest in the link between AIDS and cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, diabetes, osteoporosis and depression, the Times reports. Charles Emlet -- an associate professor at the University of Washington-Tacoma and a leading HIV and aging researcher -- said HIV/AIDS and aging research has been slow to start because of "the rapid increase in numbers." CDC's most recent data, from 33 states that meet certain reporting criteria, showed that the number of people age 50 and older with HIV or AIDS was 115,871 in 2005, compared with 64,445 in 2001. In addition, the "routine exclusion" of older people from drug trials by large pharmaceutical companies has undermined such research, the Times reports. The studies are designed to measure safety and efficacy but not long-term side effects of drugs. The lack of research also limits a patient's care, the Times reports. "AIDS is a very serious disease, but longtime survivors have come to grips with it," Emlet said, noting that although some patients experience unpleasant side effects from the antiretroviral drugs, a vast majority find a regimen they can tolerate. "Then all of a sudden they are bombarded with a whole new round of insults, which complicate their medical regime and have the potential of being life threatening. That undermines their sense of stability and makes it much more difficult to adjust," he added (Gross, New York Times, 1/6). Back to other news for January 2008
![]()
|