The Washington Blade; Friday, January 16, 1998
Lisa Keen

In the United States, most doctors and clinics rely on a test for HIV antibodies to determine if a patient has HIV infection, and studies increasingly have pointed to early therapy as a means of keeping the virus in check and possibly eradicating it from the body. But in India and some other countries, antibody tests are not so readily available.

With that in mind, researchers in India sought to discover whether there might be very early signs or symptoms that might alert doctors to the possibility that patients who do not believe they are likely infected with HIV are, in fact, infected.

The researchers began by administering HIV antibody tests to more than 6,000 visitors to two clinics - patients who did not go to the clinics specifically for HIV testing, but for treatment of other sexually related diseases. Of those tested, more than 75 percent tested negative. The researchers then administered a more specialized and expensive test to 3,874 of those who tested antibody negative to see if their blood samples contained a particle of the AIDS virus known as the p24 antigen. These particles are detectable in the blood several weeks before the body begins producing antibodies to HIV. Of those given the p24 antigen test, 58 people came up confirmed as p24 positive. Their report appeared in the Dec. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In studying the profiles of these 58 people, compared to people in control groups, the researchers noted that 79 percent of them had genital ulcers and that 77 percent had had sex with a prostitute without using a condom in the previous three months. They were also more than two and a half times more likely to present with a fever. The findings are expected to be most helpful to doctors in countries where medical testing is not widely available.

In brief...

PREDICTORS WORK FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS: A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has found that viral load and CD4 cell measurements are as effective predictors of disease progression in African American patients with HIV as they are in white patients. Most studies prior to this one involved large numbers of white Gay men; this study evaluated the use of the tests in a cohort that was 96 percent African American. The cohort was also primarily men who were infected through IV drug abuse. The report was published in the Jan. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

FREE MUSCLE MASS TESTING: Statscript pharmacy is providing free testing to people with HIV/AIDS to help them determine whether they have lost any muscle tissue. The loss of so-called "muscle mass" is a common phenomenon in people with HIV. Because it is possible to lose muscle mass without losing weight, some experts recommend testing for such loss. According to Statscript Pharmacy, a drug store chain headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA) test can give patients a quick assessment. In conjunction with the pharmacy opening a store in Washington, it is offering the test free here on Feb. 3, 4, and 5 at 1638 R St., NW, Suite 1, along with the written results that patients can give to their doctors to compare against past and future tests. To schedule a test, call (202) 332-8811.

VACCINE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Four studies of HIV vaccines which do not contain any live or killed virus are being conducted at D.C. General Hospital in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University researchers. Volunteers who do not have HIV infection are needed to help study the vaccine and will be paid a stipend for participating. Call (410) 955-7283.

STUDENTS TESTED BUT NOT TAUGHT: Almost 39 percent of college students nationwide have taken the HIV antibody test, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of almost 5,000 students. But only 41 percent reported receiving any formal instruction about HIV in their college classes and only 49 percent reported receiving any information in college about how to prevent HIV infection. And less than 30 percent reported using a condom in their last sexual encounter. Not surprisingly, then, another survey, released by Yale University last month, showed that 87 percent of young people do not believe they are vulnerable to HIV.

980116
WB980101

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1998. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1998. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .