24 Jul, 2010 in
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Many HIV/AIDS Patients Haven’t Disclosed Their Health Status to Partners, Survey Finds By Reviewed By July 22, 2010 — Seventeen percent of people with HIV/AIDS possess not told their spouses or partners about their health status, even though 96% reported having disclosed their HIV status to at least one person, an international survey finds. The survey of more than 2,000 HIV-infected people in a dozen countries reveals that in the U.S., 42% of people with the virus feel isolated because of their infection, compared to 37% worldwide. As well as 42% of people with HIV in the U.S. report feeling depressed. Survey results make it cloudless that many people with HIV/AIDS still feel that HIV-associated stigma as well as discrimination persist. Other findings of the survey:
Patient-Doctor ConversationsThe revelation of a significant gap in patient-health care provider conversation can affect the long-term health as well as quality of life of people with the virus that causes AIDS, researchers say. They say that when deciding on treatments, doctors should consider factors such as family history, whether patients smoke, possess diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or are depressed, because some treatments may be best than others.
“It is extremely ordinary for patients existing with HIV/AIDS to possess co-morbid conditions that may be exacerbated by the HIV virus or antiretroviral medications,” Jurgen Rockstroh, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at the University of Bonn, says in a news release. “We are seeing patients who are dying from complications related to co-morbidities, such as hepatitis C co-infection as well as heart disease.” Rockstroh is one of the authors of the AIDS Treatment for Life International Survey task force, along with other scientists. Their 2010 findings are being presented by the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care at the 28th international AIDS conference in Vienna, Austria. Moving Done the StigmaThe findings represent a “global consult to action to encourage more individualized patient-physician dialogue to ensure that patients’ personal needs, done health history, as well as current health examination status are considered, as well as quality-of-life issues,” says another of the researchers, Jose M. Zuniga, PhD, president as well as CEO of the Chicago-based International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, or IAPAC. “Expanding patient-physician conversations to include all aspects of a patient’s well-being is crucial for long-term survival as well as positive treatment outcomes.” Regarding antiretroviral therapy, 43% of respondents say they possess missed at least one dose in the done month, as well as forgetfulness was cited as the most ordinary reason. Jean Nachega, MD, PhD, of the ATLIS 2010 Task Force, says varying levels of adherence to drug regimens across geographic regions may be due in part to limitations in health literacy. “This critical issue requires educational, behavioral, as well as clinical interventions that will increase literacy about treatment adherence as well as HIV drug resistance to help people attain optimal adherence levels, which are crucial for achieving as well as maintaining treatment success,” says Nachega, a professor of medicine at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. The survey covers people in the United States, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, Korea, South Africa, as well as Ivory Coast. Interviews were conducted with 2,035 HIV-positive men as well as women. The survey was funded by Merck & Co., which operates in many countries as Merck Knifelike & Dohme. SOURCES: News release, International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care. |
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