Tuesday, May 28, 2013

HIV Treatment

The findings of HPTN 052 suggest that, if a sufficiently large proportion of the HIV-positive population was taking effective HIV treatment and their viral loads were brought down to an undetectable level, transmission might become rare enough for the epidemic to be ended. The possibility that, alongside condom use and other safer sex practices, in certain situations people with an undetectable viral load could consider adherence to HIV treatment to be a method of preventing onward transmission of HIV. For discordant couples thinking about pregnancy. The reduced risk of transmission may mean couples feel able to have unprotected sex in order to conceive.

There are some programmes already under way taking this approach to HIV prevention (in San Francisco and British Columbia, for example, where people are encouraged to start HIV treatment at the time they are diagnosed, regardless of their CD4 cell count).

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Bacterial vaginosis and health complications

If you are pregnant and have symptoms of bacterial vaginosis, it is very important to see your GP or another health service so that you can be treated. Untreated bacterial vaginosis can cause complications in pregnancy, including premature birth and miscarriage.

Women with HIV who have bacterial vaginosis may be more likely to pass on HIV during sex and there is also a greater risk of passing on HIV to a baby during delivery.

Although bacterial vaginosis sometimes goes away by itself as the balance of bacteria in the vagina corrects itself, it is important that HIV-positive women who believe that they may have the condition are screened for it and if necessary take treatment. It is particularly important that women who are pregnant or thinking about pregnancy have their symptoms investigated and, if necessary, are treated.

Treatment is with antibiotics. Metronidazole can be used as an oral treatment. Treatment usually lasts for seven days and consists of twice-daily doses of 400mg. An alternative oral Metronidazole treatment is a single 2g dose. Another possible treatment is an antibiotic gel applied in the vagina once a day for five days. Metronidazole is available in a gel formulation, as is an antibiotic called clindamycin. It’s important that you take all the treatment prescribed to you.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Anabolic steroid treatment in people with HIV



The anabolic steroids have been studied as a treatment for wasting caused by HIV, and have been shown to be safe and effective, helping the formation of lean muscle mass. To be most effective, anabolic steroid treatment should be combined with an exercise programme of resistance (weight) training.
Studies have mostly been restricted to men because of concerns about the side-effects of steroid treatment for women. Anabolic steroids, and testosterone, can damage the liver, and severe liver problems including liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and cancer have been seen in long-term users of anabolic steroids. If you are being prescribed them by your doctor, your liver function will be closely monitored.

Acne, male pattern baldness, sexual dysfunction, shrinking of the testicles, and the shutting down of natural production of testosterone can also be caused by anabolic steroids. Aggression, mood disturbances, stomach pain, an enlarged prostate and water retention can also develop as a consequence of steroid use. Breast enlargement in men, and the development of male characteristics in women have also been observed.