Man appears free of HIV after stem cell transplant

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

While, modern medicine has made great strides especially over the ~20 years of HAART, HIV/AIDS patients do die over time, albeit, at later ages they normally would and possibly something unrelated to their infection... Please let me know if I am wrong...

It is my understanding that they die from total organ failure, at one time. HAART does cause a lipoatrophy as well as left ventricular cardiomyopathy. So that's rough 2-3 vital organs involved: pancreas, heart and liver (and/or kidney).

While we do not see that many people dying from a painful death from full-blown AIDS symptoms, such as the Kaposi's Sarcoma or the Pneumocystis carnii, at rates seen in the mid-1980's, these souls actually do die from shorten lifespan with chronic diseases of cardiovascular aging. And very few odd cancers, like astroglialomas or hepatocarcinomas that normally happens in rodents...

While that does not negate the treatment with HAARTs and they are beneficial for treatments, there does have to be disclosure with these drugs, they are NOT aspirins or Tylenols--they are multi-functional pharmas, protease inhibitors, anti-retrovirucides, etc...

Most lay people really do not get that fact, making it a PART of a public health issue rather than a physician ONLY issue...

How do I know as a former R21 NIH awarded research scientist, hospice caregiving is NOT a joke...

Just trying to help...

The causes of death in HIV/AIDS has evolved over time significantly. Lifespan after diagnosis can be many decades now. I agree that these drugs are not totally benign drugs. Lipoatrophy, pancreatitis are common side effects, though the newer drugs are less likely to cause these side effects. One of the major problems with the earlier drugs has been improved with the newer drugs...fewer pills fewer times a day. This also decreases the likelihood of multidrug resistance since patients are less likely to miss their doses. Sure there are still problems, but therapy is fairly benign for the average patient. This allows the patients to live normal lives. Jumping to stem cell transplants, however, will result in costly and deadly results.
Hopefully with more time, researchers will continue to find drugs that suppress the virus with even fewer side effects. All in all, there have been great leaps in treatment since the 80s.