First HIV treatment increases survival
The problem, he tells WebMD, is that patients have been tested “too late”.Kitahata presented the findings at a joint meeting of the American Society for Microbiology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “Cocktail drugs” to reduce mortality due to AIDS
But in a study of over 8000 patients, those without symptoms who started treatment when their CD4 count was between 351 and 500 cells per cubic millimeter of blood were less likely to die than those who waited until the number was lower, Mari Kitahata said, MD, University of Washington in Seattle.
Hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved if the treatment of infected patients started earlier than current guidelines suggest, researchers reported.
In recent years, new combinations that minimize side effects and requires patients to take fewer tablets have become available. And research has suggested that delays in treatment can seriously damage the immune and nervous systems.
The guidelines for the introduction of antiviral therapy in a person who develops or whose CD4 count – a measure of how much damage HIV has done to the immune system – is less than 350 cells per cubic millimeter of blood.
Kitahata agrees. “Unfortunately, patients come for treatment at a later stage of the disease. Part of our message is that you need to know your HIV status and enter care before they can benefit from antiretroviral therapy.”
Kitahata said there is no doubt that under the current guidelines, the AIDS deaths have declined significantly. But the new data support growing evidence that treatment could start earlier to help reduce deaths from other causes among people infected with HIV, he said.
“The data strongly support the initiation of antiretroviral therapy in all patients with a CD4 count of 500 or less, regardless of whether they have symptoms,” he said. “We are waiting too late to cure people.”
But they have their own set of problems. Can cause,,, heart problems and other toxic effects. The ‘Skipping doses can cause resistance to develop, which means that the drugs stop working. As a result, some physicians start treatment delayed.
For the study, Kitahata and colleagues examined 8374 people in the U.S. and Canada with CD4 351-500. Thirty percent started taking HIV drugs immediately, while others waited until their CD4 count has fallen.
