Since the emergence of HIV and AIDS, there has been no known cure for the dreaded disease, however, research is coming closer to finding a permanent cure.

AIDS in the 21st century is nothing like it was in the decade that preceded it, where approximately 1.1 million people were infected.

6 Things Most People Don’t Know About HIV And AIDS

These are six things most people still don't know about HIV/AIDS.

1. If You’re recently been exposed to HIV, you may still be able to prevent it with emergency treatment
There is an antiretroviral treatment cocktail that, if ingested and continued to be taken within the first 72 hours of exposure to the virus, one can significantly reduce the risk of getting HIV.

Dr. Carlos Malvestutto, MD, MPH, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Division of Infectious Diseases, explained that this type of medical HIV prevention is called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and to be fully effective, it must be taken for 28 days. It is more effective if treatment is started early.

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2. HIV patients are at high risk of a myriad of diseases
According to a 2014 study published in the journal Nature Reviews Cardiology, individuals living with HIV have almost twice the risk of heart attacks and strokes compared to people who do not have the disease. This is as a result of a combination of factors, including chronic inflammation and immune activation. There is active ongoing investigation weighing interventions to reduce chronic inflammation and immune activation in those living with HIV.

Dr. Malvestutto noted that researchers do not yet have a specific treatment to do this beyond the effect of controlling the virus with antiretroviral treatment. “It is, however, possible to control established cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, and obesity, so it is important that individuals who are HIV+ talk with their primary care providers to develop a plan to reduce cardiovascular risk, “the doctor stated.

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According to Dr. Malvestutto;

“There is also a lot of data showing that HIV increases the risk of not only AIDS-associated malignancies such as Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Kaposi sarcoma, and cervical cancer but also other types of malignancies including lung cancer. So age-appropriate cancer screening—such as for these hard-to-catch-early cancers are very important.”

3. Resistance is becoming problematic even though AIDS medications function effectively
Doctor Josh Bloom, Ph.D., director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences for the American Council on Science and Health noted that all viruses will become resistant to an antiviral drug as time goes by. The authentic definition of an antiviral drug is one that causes drug-resistant mutations in the virus. Dr. Bloom said resistance can be slowed intensely by using combinations of drugs that attack the virus by different mechanisms.

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It is this approach that he contributes to being the cornerstone of effective AIDS therapies. “The only way to stay ahead of resistance is to keep inventing new drugs to replace the older ones once they are no longer effective.”

4. The population of people living with HIV is advancing in age
The overall population of persons living with the condition is aging, as people living with HIV are living longer, courtesy of effective antiretroviral treatment. According to statistics from CDC, in 2014, an estimated 45 percent of Americans living with diagnosed HIV were aged 50 and older, 27 percent were aged 55 and older and 6 percent were aged 65 and older.

In a few years, more than half of all people living with HIV will be above 50 years. “Older people in the United States are more likely to have more advanced HIV infection at the time of diagnosis than younger people,” says Carlos Malvestutto.

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“Also, older people may not consider themselves to be at risk of HIV infection or may mistake HIV symptoms for those of normal aging, Dr Malvestutto added.”

Most older people are sexually active, and may lack knowledge about HIV prevention. This calls for the importance of making HIV testing generally available to all irrespective of their age and the need for primary care providers to have an open discussion with their older patients about risky sexual practices.

5. Most people affected with HIV do not know their status
Dr. Malvestutto noted that HIV testing has become very sensitive, and rapid tests, which provide results in about 40 minutes, can detect HIV infection that was acquired very recently, still, too many people who have HIV do not become aware of their status until the disease is advanced. This is why he says it is so important to promote and normalize HIV testing for everyone—so that all patients can be diagnosed and started on HIV treatment quickly.

6. There is medication available to prevent HIV acquisition for high-risk individuals
A preventive vaccine for HIV is not yet available worldwide, there is however a medication that can be taken orally every day to prevent HIV infection among individuals who are at high risk of acquiring HIV. The currently approved medication is a pill that combines two drugs (tenofovir and emtricitabine) and is more than 94 percent effective at preventing the acquisition of HIV in uninfected people who are at high risk of HIV infection,” says Dr. Malvestutto.

This type of prevention is called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. “In the U.S., it was approved by FDA in 2012 and awareness of and access to PrEP is increasing around the world. Dr. Malvestutto predicts that in the nearest future, there will be multiple forms of PrEP that will not require taking a pill daily but may include monthly vaginal rings, subcutaneous implants that release the drug slowly, and long-acting injectables administered every eight weeks.

Source: http://www.healthdiary365.com/2017/12/18/surprising-things-most-people-dont-know-about-hiv-and-aids/

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HIV is not a death sentence, there are even worse deadly diseases that kills faster than HIV.
With proper treatments, an infected person can live a normal life.

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