The AIDS Beacon™

Researchers presented several studies last week at the 2010 International AIDS Conference that focused on the relationship between HIV and aging.

Some of the studies found that HIV-related diseases and complications, such as osteoporosis, heart problems, and sexual dysfunction, are more prevalent in older adults with HIV.

However, several studies also showed positive results, including unexpected data showing HIV may not cause faster immune system and brain decline with age. Additional studies showed the benefits of exercise and strength training and the effectiveness of Selzentry (maraviroc) in older patients with…

A study being conducted at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing by Jason Farley, an assistant professor, will evaluate physicians‘ ability to prevent cardiovascular conditions in HIV/AIDS patients.

For his study, Farley plans to evaluate physicians based on their counseling sessions with HIV/AIDS patients, specifically looking at the health advice patients receive regarding diet, exercise, and smoking.

“The question of the study is: How good are we at preventing cardiovascular conditions when we have another life-threatening condition we’re paying attention to?” Farley explained in The John Hopkins University Gazette.

Farley’s…

The Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) added warnings of increased risk of heart attack and dyslipidemia (elevated cholesterol and lipid levels) to the prescribing information for Lexiva (fosamprenavir), an anti-HIV drug.

GSK, the drug’s manufacturer, has updated existing prescribing information to include the potential for Lexiva to increase cholesterol levels, which is known to raise the risk of heart attacks.

GSK recommends testing triglycerides and cholesterol levels in patients, both initially and at set intervals throughout the course of therapy.

Evidence for this increased risk comes from…

Recent research at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases in Bari, Italy has found that HIV infection increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous studies only examined the risk in patients undergoing antiretroviral treatment (ART), whereas this assessment also includes patients who have never used ART.

In the study, 20 percent of the HIV patients showed cardiovascular damage at the conclusion of the evaluation period. The main form of damage observed was atherosclerosis, the hardening and thickening of arteries from the buildup of fatty molecules such as cholesterol. Atherosclerosis is often…

In a recently published study, scientists have found an association between Ziagen (abacavir) usage and impaired endothelial function. The study, which was published in AIDS, the official journal of the International AIDS Society, showed that patients who used Ziagen had lower flow-mediated dilation (FMD) than those who did not.

The endothelium is the lining found inside blood vessels. This lining controls expansion and contraction (vasodilation and vasoconstriction) of blood vessels by interacting with the smooth muscle that surrounds them.

Problems with endothelial function, such as the inability of an artery…

Researchers from the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco have found that HIV increases the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which artery walls thicken as a result of a buildup of fatty materials. HIV competes equally with other common high risk factors of atherosclerosis, such as diabetes and smoking. These findings support a potential change in treatment for long-lived HIV patients regarding atherosclerosis.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body’s cells cannot properly intake dietary sugar resulting in a buildup of sugar…