Posts tagged HIV healthcare
An Ounce of Prevention Could Save Tons of Money in the War on HIV
8 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Management
A study performed in Canada showed that every dollar a community spent on HIV-prevention methods resulted in saving five dollars in treatment. Over the past 25 years, programs costing about $1.3 billion dollars have resulted in approximately $6.5 billion less in treatment. That is a tremendous savings for an already financially burdened health care system. Let’s take a look at why prevention is so cost effective as opposed to treatment.
The Economic Burden of HIV
HIV treatments now allow patients to live a long, full life. That is good news for patients, but financial burdensome for health care systems because it means patients receive treatment for years longer than they once did. For example, in the US, it costs, on average, more than a quarter of a million dollars to treat an HIV positive person over the course of their lifetime, some costing as much as $400K. The same holds true in Canada with lifetime treatment costing a little over $285,000 USD per patient.
Where Community-Based Programs Prove Most Effective
Preventative programs are generally run by local and national non-profit groups. These organizations work to provide ongoing:
- Education
- Prevention
- Support Services
These programs target at-risk groups including, but not limited to:
- Homosexual men
- Those who use injectable drugs
- HIV endemic populations
Other Prevention Savings Considerations
The researchers claim that not all of the HIV-prevention methods were taken into account in the study and that even more savings took place than was recorded. Specifically, claims are made that an additional 70,000 infections were prevented by other programs. This resulted in an additional $25 billion in health care savings. This includes a treatment option that was released back in 1997 called highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART. Three or more drugs are combined for HAART treatment, and these medications delay the onset of HIV symptoms, preventing the disease from progressing into AIDS.
Deadly Lymphoma Now Has Potential Treatment for HIV Patients
8 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Management
Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a deadly and incurable form of lymphoma that is specific to those with HIV/AIDS. A researcher, however, has recently determined that a drug already approved by the FDA and on the market for treatment of multiple myeloma may actually be more effective at treating PEL as part of the HIV treatment.
Once the researchers discovered that existing medications can help fight PEL, the search was on to see what other existing cancer treatments would also be effective. That is when they decided to look into BRD4 inhibitors. These inhibitors, when combined with the immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) for multiple myeloma worked exceptionally well in the lab as anti-PEL treatment.
The problem with PEL is that there have been no treatment options up to this point. Combine this with the fact that the disease is very fast moving, and most patients do not survive half a year after diagnosis. Current attempts at treatment are all IV drugs and are very toxic to the patient. These drugs are expensive and very difficult to administer in remote parts of Africa where the condition is the most prevalent.
The research, however, does not mean that patients can go out and get multiple myeloma treatment if they currently have PEL. It means that clinical testing will now begin to see if this combination of medications could, in fact, be effective. The fact that all of the drugs involved have already been approved by the FDA should help things move along rather quickly in the testing phase.
While this is not one of the more common diseases on earth and is even rare among HIV treatments, it is certainly one that has a high mortality rate. It is satisfying to see research going on that helps a very select group of individuals, even though the need for such medication will not drive the same earnings as treatment for a more common condition.
HIV Is Still Newsworthy in the Gay District of Montréal
8 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Management
Modern HIV treatments keep the disease out of the news for the most part. After all, regular treatment reduces the risk of transmission, and many patients have “undetectable” amounts of the diseases in their system. However, in Montreal’s Village district, called The Village, home to many gay and bisexual males, HIV news is still a prevalent concern.
One thing that sets the Village apart from the rest of the city is the presence of many more community groups and care facilities. On December 1st of each year, World AIDS Day, there is a vigil held in the Park of Hope. In the Chapel of Hope, a flame perpetually burns to remember AIDS victims, and this location is well known locally as a place for contemplation. Another supporter of AIDs victims is the FARHA Foundation, which has a walk each year in late September. This too mainly takes place in the Village. Outside of the Village, there are no public events related to AIDS.
Clearly, HIV and AIDS have had an impact on the lives of those living in this part of the city beyond what is mentioned in the news anymore. While HIV is not something most people think about on a day-to-day basis, it is truly a part of the daily life in the gay community of Montreal. Murals in neighborhood parks reflect local hopes for the AIDS scourge to be, one day, a thing of the past.
In the meantime, the LGBT community sees recent cinematic depictions as a way to collectively remember the community’s long fight against AIDS. There is a big difference, however, between nostalgia and current efforts. After all, what is depicted in movies does not often reflect real life challenges faced in such communities. And HIV news is still a growing concern in places like Montreal’s The Village district, which is why it plays such a large social role for the AIDS community.
Risk of HIV Decreases with More Secondary Education
8 years ago
A study was performed in Botswana that revealed just one year more of secondary education produced a drastic reduction in the risk of contracting HIV. In a part of the world where approximately 1 in 4 will contract HIV over the course of a decade following school, reducing the percentage to 17 would mean thousands of fewer cases of HIV.
Also interesting to note is the fact that decreased risk of HIV infection was more significant in young women than men. It has been speculated that the reason behind these findings is that the additional year of education during this crucial stage in adolescence keeps students from participating in the same amount of risky behavior they would be taking part in if school were already over. For women especially, education seems to have a major impact, and may be a cost effective way to reduce HIV infection across Africa, where may nations currently do not provide the same educational opportunities for young girls as they do for boys.
What are the implications of this study for a nation plagued by HIV such as Botswana where a 2013 study revealed that 22 percent of individuals in the 15 to 49 age group were infected? The fact is that providing an extra year of schooling to secondary school students for free is far less of a financial burden on the nation than trying to provide treatment after infection.
The 8 percent difference in risk represents a significant improvement for both the health and the economy of the nation. HIV infection is not the only aspect of health that is improved as nations provide more education. Other concerns, such as child mortality, are also positively affected when a nation places a great emphasis on school and learning.
In short, when it comes to risk of HIV infection, education matters. Indeed, no matter where in the world you live, education plays a vital role for children to remain healthy, especially in parts of the world where education has life and death consequences.
Target Found in HIV Cells
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
Target Found in HIV Cells: New and Promising Results
HIV treatment is something researchers and scientists are continually pursuing. This is because, as the HIV cells mutate and become resistant to some medications, new medications need to be developed and varied types of treatment need to be utilized. In this pursuit, researchers have identified a new target for eliminating HIV replication and preventing the spread of the HIV cells in the body. This promising target found in HIV cells deals with the ‘activation’ period HIV has after a dormant phase. The virus cells can lay dormant for months, even several years, before it suddenly ‘awakens.’ HIV then begins its erratic replication process, destroying the body’s immune system in the process.
Scientists believed for many years that this activation process – the awakening of the HIV cells in the body – is caused by two components, the protein that HIV produces, called Tat, and the CycT1 protein. Indeed, they thought CycT1 protein was the only activation protein which caused Tat to activate the HIV cell and start the replication process. The most recent discovery is of a new protein – Ssu72 phosphatase – which seems to also be intimately connected to this activation process.
After this discovery, and subsequent studies to identify that this protein is indeed involved in the activation process of HIV cells, several new treatments are now thought to be possible. The first protein involved in causing Tat to start the HIV replication process – CycT1 – is used by the body for normal activity. Therefore, it cannot be a target of anti-HIV drugs (without disrupting the normal bodily activities it is involved in). Ssu72, however, is not used in normal body processes and can be targeted by anti-HIV drugs. This target found in HIV cells is now being studied as a means to eliminate or disable this protein—long before it starts the Tat’s process of HIV cell replication.
