To combat infection with the AIDS virus and limit the risks associated with this pathology (infections, cancers), the disease should be treated with antiretrovirals as soon as the diagnosis is announced.
The Start study was carried out in 35 countries with 4,685 HIV-infected men and women aged 18 and over.
Half of the volunteers were randomly selected to start antiretroviral therapy immediately after diagnosis. The other half later when their CD4 immune cell count dropped to 350 cells per cubic millimeter of blood, below normal.
The results of this study revealed that people treated without delay had a 53% lower risk of dying or developing illnesses related to the infection, compared to the control group.
“We now have irrefutable proof of a much greater gain for the health of an HIV-infected person from starting antiretroviral therapy sooner than later,” the director of the American Institute told AFP. of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Anthony Fauci.
“Furthermore, early therapy not only improves the health of infected people but at the same time reduces their viral load and thereby the risk of transmitting HIV to others,” he added.
Antivirals in prevention for populations at risk
While 13 million people in France are treated with antivirals, each year more than 6,000 new HIV infections are discovered. People are mostly infected sexually. The National Institute for Health Surveillance (INVS) estimates that 30,000 to 40,000 people with HIV are unaware of it. 35.5 million worldwide live with AIDS. Forced to note that the epidemic continues to explode, the WHO published in July 2014 its news health recommendations on AIDS. Gottfried Hirnschall, director of the organization’s HIV department, told reporters that “men who have sex with men are strongly advised to consider taking antiretrovirals as an additional method of HIV prevention.”
Read also:
HIV: how does it work in the body?
STIs: what are the risks of transmission according to sexual practices?
HIV: being a woman and living with AIDS