HIV may be increasing in virulence
Source: Reuters
Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:48am EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - From 1985 to 2007, the CD4+ cell counts seen at diagnosis in HIV-infected patients in the US have fallen, suggesting that the virus may be adapting to the host and becoming more virulent, according to a report in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
These findings agree with those of other researchers, who have reported that patients starting treatment for HIV infection in recent years may have lower CD4+ cell counts at diagnosis and require antiretroviral therapy earlier in the course of disease, Dr. Nancy Crum-Cianflone, from the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California, and colleagues report.
The study results stem from an analysis of data for 2174 patients who tested positive for HIV antibodies and were enrolled in the TriService AIDS Clinical Consortium HIV Natural History Study. None of the subjects had received antiretroviral treatment and had their CD4+ counts measured within 6 months of their HIV diagnosis. CD4+ cells are immune cells that are used to assess the severity of the infection. As HIV infection progresses, CD4+ cell counts decrease.
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