Health Care

The possibility that AIDS patients were given acyclovir 400 mg twice daily as part of a pilot project to examine whether acyclovir reduces HIV transmission in serodiscordant couples, AIDS continues to be, should begin antiretroviral therapy (HAART), or died, 17% lower. It was delivered on the last day of the conference the International AIDS Society (IAS) to-5. The impact is statistically significant (p = 0.03).

The results came from the Partners in Prevention Study, which failed to find that giving acyclovir to AIDS patients to reduce HIV transmission to the partner (Celum). However, the study researcher Dr. Jairam Lingappa said that acyclovir may not play a role in the postponement of starting HAART.

Partners in Prevention Study provides acyclovir 400 mg or placebo twice daily for 24 months to 3408 people, two thirds are women, as partners of HIV-positive in serodiscordant relationships. The average age of women in the study was 29 years old and men 37 years, the average CD4 count was 480 in women and approximately 420 in men.

Although acyclovir does not reduce HIV transmission, the possibility of patients taking acyclovir died of trauma was not (not because of accidents or violence) is 24% lower, although it was not statistically significant (p = 0.29). Chances are they started HAART 19% lower (p = 0.06) or develop a CD4 count below 200 (p = 0.05).

Gender, CD4 count or viral load at the beginning did not make the difference in disease progression, but there was a trend towards a relationship with compliance: the possibility of people taking more than 90% of the dose will develop a combined end point above the average is 23% lower, and the possibility of people who use less than 90% develop end point was 11% higher (p = 0.13).

Does HSV-2 suppression can slow HIV disease progression in HIV-infected people who do not meet the criteria for antiretroviral therapy based on current national guidelines, says Dr. Lingappa?

Although the 17% reduction in disease progression observed is not significant, it may be combined with other interventions such cheap kotrimoksazol PCP prophylaxis, which in the study to reduce mortality from as many as 45% of HIV, and multivitamins, which reduces mortality from HIV as much as 27% . Based on these findings, acyclovir can delay the deadline until the median CD4 cell count below 350 at 6.3 months (28.8 vs. 35.1 months).