What Treatment Is Available For Patients With Hiv Or Aids
When a person is diagnosed with the HIV virus or AIDS, the first question a medical doctor is asked is, “what is the treatment?” Treatment has come a long way since the discovery of this disease in the early 80′s. There are now new drugs that attack the HIV infection. Several drugs can be combined in what is know as a drug cocktail that will attack the HIV virus at several different points. There is a problem with combining drugs, there is a danger of the HIV virus becoming drug resistant and the those drugs may no longer be effective.
People with high levels of virus in the blood will progress more rapidly to AIDS. It is not possible to totally rid the body of the HIV virus; the goal is to suppress the virus so it cannot destroy more CD4 cells. This allows the immune system to stay stronger and allow it to fight off infections that would otherwise not be life threatening.
There are many antiretro drugs on the market today. There are at least four that are used most often in fighting the HIV virus.
1. Fusion inhibitors, such as Fuzeon
2. Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
3. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
4. Protease inhibitors
Some of the brand names for these various drugs are: Retrovir, AZT, Videx, Zerit, Viread and Invirase. Others that are commonly used are Combivir, Crixivan, Viracept, and Sustiva. These are the most recognized names in AIDS treatment.
The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved over 22 drugs for treating patients with the HIV or AIDS virus. Included in these drugs are medications that also treat secondary infections that attack the body because of its compromised immune system. The most common treatment method is with the use of active antiretroviral therapy or HAART. It is a combination of inhibitors but it does have some side effects that are uncomfortable. Side effects include nausea, and diarrhea. There is also a danger of drug interaction with other common medications. Fusion inhibitors are saved for patients who are infected with a drug resistant strain of HIV.
There are many treatment scams that prey on the vulnerability of AIDS patients. Unscrupulous companies are bilking AIDS patients out of billions of dollars a year in their search for a cure. The Federal Drug Association has formed a Health Fraud Task Force to look into these companies that are advertising “miracle” cures. Some of the unapproved treatments are energized water treatment, ozone therapy, and hydrogen-peroxide treatments. Companies hoping to capitalize on their desperation promise the AIDS patient remission and even cures.
In addition to the medications approved for use in treating AIDS, some people should be treated with other medications if their CD4 count drops lower than 200 per cubic milliliter of blood.
Research for treatments for the HIV and AIDS virus is ongoing. Soon we hope there will be a substantial gain in treatment methods for this disease that has no cure. Then we must have the means to get the treatment to the poorer countries of the world where AIDS has reached epidemic proportions.
Recommended Reading
- Treatment And Treatment Guidelines For Aids Patients
- Explaining The Five Classes Of Antiretroviral Drugs For Aids Patients
- Opportunistic Infections Which Attack AIDS Patients
- A Silver Lining In The Cloud Of Aids
- Treating Serious Illnesses In An Aids Patient
Comments on What Treatment Is Available For Patients With Hiv Or Aids »
Hi all, in relation to Ozone Therapy can it be used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS as some people puts it and how does it work and if so why can’nt it be used to end this killer disease, about this therapy i read it in this (www.cure-aids-hiv.com) please advice