HIV

Despite initiating antiretroviral therapy, overall and comorbidity-free–associated survival remain below that of the population without HIV.

Study results show a 4% mortality rate among HIV-positive patients who have coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared with approximately 17% of patients who also have COVID-19 but are HIV-negative.

When used correctly, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective more than 90% of the time, saving upward of $400,000 per averted HIV transmission.

Of the 1.8 million youth living with HIV around the world, the United States is home to 2000, and many were infected perinatally.

There was a 6% increase from 2005 to 2014 in new HIV diagnoses among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, according to the CDC and study results published in Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, and 1 in 6 is estimated to test positive for the disease at some point in his lifetime.

The life expectancy of a person living with HIV is approaching that of the general, seronegative population. However, changes to the bacterial environment of the intestinal tract combined with age-associated noncommunicable diseases can lead to chronic inflammation and higher rates of death.

Close to 40 million individuals are infected with HIV globally. A new study describes how some have a higher risk for a first venous thromboembolism that is 2 to 10 times above that of the general population.

Schistosomiasis is the world’s second deadliest parasitic disease, and it can be linked to contaminated freshwater, with a majority of infections resulting from 3 types of bacteria: Schistosoma mansoni, S haematobium, or S japonicum. It is also a proposed factor for increasing the risk of HIV-1 infection in women.

Persons 50 years and older accounted for 3.6 million individuals living with HIV in 2013, and this number almost doubled to an estimated 6.7 million by 2017. Not all, however, are on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Washington is home to 2 pertinent developments in the arrival of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the United States: the first US case of the virus was reported in the state on January 21 and the first major US city to report deaths as a result was Seattle.

Among the principal reasons for recommending initiating antiretroviral treatment (ART) among pregnant patients who are HIV positive is to prevent transmission of the virus to their unborn children. This number was estimated at 1.3 million pregnant women, as of 2018.

Close to 6 million individuals die every year as a direct result of sepsis infection, with a majority of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The HIV-positive population in sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionately affected by this opportunistic infection.

The CDC recommends regular testing for bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among all sexually active gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Chief among these STDs are gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and hepatitis C.

According to 2015 CDC data, current viral suppression rates from antiretroviral therapy (ART) leave room for improvement among both HIV-positive individuals who are aware of their disease status and those receiving care, at 40.0% and 81.5%, respectively.

Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was first approved by the FDA in 2012, but only for use among adults. An indication was added in 2018 for its use among adolescents.

Following interim results presented at the 2017 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, a team of investigators from Vall d’Hebron in Spain delivered their final results at this year’s virtual conference on cytomegalovirus (CMV) viral load response to antiretroviral therapy compared with anti-CMV treatment.

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis are 4 sexually transmitted infections (STI) that have seen sharp increases in occurrence over the past 10 years. Their combined overall rate rose 31% between 2013 and 2017 and correlate with a lower overall HIV testing rate among adolescents.

Despite being at an increased risk for HIV and hepatitis C, persons who inject drugs (PWID) are tested at dismal rates for both: just 8.6% and 7.7%, respectively, according to data from 2010 to 2017. PWID who live in rural communities are more likely to face barriers to adequate testing and care for both diseases.

As of 2017, 184,718 young adult women and men were living with HIV in Kenya, for an annual prevalence of 2.61% and 1.34%, respectively. Female sex workers are at higher risk of contracting HIV.

Between 2012 and 2018, 93.8% of HIV-positive active military service members were on continuous antiretroviral therapy (ART). Of this group, 99.0% were virally suppressed by the end of their first year on ART.

There is a great need for additional outreach to the transgender community, especially by addressing concerns that include fear and loss of confidentiality, distrust of the medical community, abandonment, and abuse.

Detectable viral load (VL) is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among US youth living with HIV, according to an abstract presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

Evolocumab (Repatha), a human monoclonal antibody and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor, produced positive results in persons living with HIV in the BEIJERINCK study by reducing their levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). These individuals have a risk of cardiovascular disease that is almost twice that of HIV-negative individuals.

The environment surrounding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic seems to change by the minute. The full extent to which HIV-positive individuals can be affected if they contract COVID-19, because they are immunocompromised, is not known. Recently, the CDC issued guidance for this patient population.

Between 2010 and 2017, there were 327,700 new HIV infections in the United States. Of these, HIV-2 infections accounted for less than 0.03% of the total. It is important to differentiate which HIV strain an individual is infected with because HIV-2 is intrinsically resistant to nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors, which are typically used to treat HIV-1 infections.