Marked Improvement in AIDS-Related PML Occurs With HAART

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Marked Improvement in AIDS-Related PML Occurs With HAART

Reuters Health Information Service (12/24/98)

Researchers working at Hospital Gregorio in Madrid, Spain, reported in Thursday's issue of the journal AIDS a study that showed highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was effective in stabilizing the condition of patients with AIDS- associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), which is caused by the JC virus and has no current effective treatment. Compared to 13 control patients who lived an average of 60 days after diagnosis, patients diagnosed with PML who were given HAART lived an average of 545 days, with neurological deficits significantly improving in six patients and remaining the same in six patients. Magnetic resonance imaging performed on 11 of the HAART patients showed lesions improved in 10 patients and stabilized in one patients, while six out of the seven who initially had a positive result for JC virus exhibited no evidence of the infection following treatment. The researchers suggested that HAART may be an effective treatment for PML that improves a patients life and survival time.

981228
AD982437

Copyright © 1998 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD. The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, press releases and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles.

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information.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.