About Careers Internship MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

Drug Cocktail Boosts HIV Survival by 13 Years, Study Says

by Rajashri on July 25, 2008 at 2:11 PM
 Drug Cocktail Boosts HIV Survival by 13 Years, Study Says

A new study has revealed that anti-HIV drugs have reduced death rates among people with the AIDS virus by nearly 40 percent since combination therapy was introduced in 1996.

It is the biggest-ever assessment into the effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy -- the triple cocktail of drugs that suppress, but do not eradicate, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Advertisement

Publishing on Friday in the British weekly medical journal The Lancet, researchers report on 14 ongoing studies into more than 33,000 HIV-infected people living in Europe, Canada and the United States.

These people started antiretrovirals in one of three phases -- from 1996-1999; from 2000-2002; and from 2003-2005.

From 1996 to 2005, 2,056 patients died, but mortality fell by around 40 percent in the course of this period. Life expectancy at the start was 36.1 years but rose to 49.4 years at the end.
Advertisement

"These advances have transformed HIV from being a fatal disease, which was the reality for patients before the advent of combination treatment, into a long-term chronic condition," says the paper.

The team is headed by Robert Hogg, a professor at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.

The study found that people who were treated earlier after infection and had a higher number of CD4 immune cells at the start of the therapy had a better life expectancy.

Despite the greater overall survival chances, there remained a big gap in life expectancy between people on antiretrovirals and the general population, the authors found.

In a rich country, an HIV-positive person starting the drugs at the age of 20 will on average live another 43 years, to the age of 63, while a non-infected person will survive to around 80, according to this data.

The mortality figures culled in the study are not detailed enough to explain this discrepancy, the authors admit.

Nor -- given most people with HIV are under 50 - are there yet any figures to compare survival among older HIV-infected people compare with non-infected counterparts.

In high-income economies, a disproportionately high number of injecting drug users have HIV, where there is a higher risk of suicide or a fatal overdose.

Australian AIDS expert David Cooper at the University of South Wales, near Sydney, said that the study was a useful pointer to people with HIV as to how long they could expect to live if they had access to the antiretroviral lifeline.

Since AIDS emerged in 1981, the disease has claimed around 25 million lives and another 33 million are infected, some two-thirds of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: AFP
RAS/L
Font : A-A+

Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Recommended Readings

Latest AIDS/HIV News

HIV Vaccine Clinical Trial Initiates in the United States and South Africa
The Phase 1 trial for a preventive HIV vaccine candidate has initiated enrollment in both the United States and South Africa.
Beauty Salon-Driven Initiative Boosts PrEP Awareness in Fight Against AIDS
In the United States, African American women make up only 26% of female PrEP users, yet they account for 57% of new infections among women.
Immune-Evading HIV Protein Complex Solved
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the fight against HIV/AIDS with the successful resolution of the enigmatic immune-evading HIV protein complex.
Does Gender Influence Comorbidity Rates in HIV-Positive Smokers
Tailored quit-smoking programs are designed to address the risks associated with comorbidity in individuals living with HIV.
Digital Test Measures HIV Viral Load
DNA editing tool CRISPR-Cas13 helps diagnose and signal the presence of HIV antibodies in HIV patients.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
MediBotMediBot
Greetings! How can I assist you?MediBot
×

Drug Cocktail Boosts HIV Survival by 13 Years, Study Says Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests