ASHM Report Back
Clinical posts from members and guests of the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) from various international medical and scientific conferences on HIV, AIDS, viral hepatitis, and sexual health.
Co-morbidities in HIV patient: Hit hard and Early.
Prof Georg Behrens discussed the impact of co-morbidities in HIV patients.
This is relevant in every area of care in people with HIV but I was particularly interested in the pathophysiology of HIV and co-morbid conditions.
The speaker stated that HIV infections is associated with varieties of co-morbid conditions including; Hepatitis B virus, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases, Myocardial infarctions, Osteoporosis and Cancers.
These co-morbidities are as a result of chronic inflammation which stems from the virus infection
Keeping these in mind, a whole patient approach is important in the care of people with HIV.
In addition to treating the virus, attending to the co-morbid conditions is necessary for optimal management of HIV patients.
Commencing antiretroviral drugs early (“Starting early”) will lead to immune re-construction and a fall in CD4 counts and further improve life expectancy in HIV patients