Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - November 10, 2003
Aphaluck Bhatiasevi
Aside from considering the health of HIV/Aids sufferers' immune systems, the patient's commitment and ability to afford life-long therapy should also be assessed, Kiat Ruxrungtham, of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine, said during an Aids workshop.
Dr Kiat said the triple-drug cocktail known collectively as Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy (HAART) had been proven to significantly decrease mortality and improve the lives of HIV sufferers.
However, he added the cocktail included the drug nevirapine, which local research had found should be prescribed with caution.
Dr Kiat said up to five per cent of patients taking nevirapine suffered life-threatening attacks of hypersensitivity, hepatitis, and Steven Johnson syndrome, an allergic reaction that causes multiple blisters on most of the skin and mucous membranes.
Patients should be treated for potential allergic reactions before receiving HAART, he said.
Also speaking at the workshop, the Thai Red Cross Society Aids Research Centre deputy director Usa Thisyakorn said nevirapine had been given to pregnant women with HIV since 2001 in efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmissions.
World Health Organisation regional officer Ying Ru Lo said the WHO was preparing guidelines for the treatment of mothers with HIV and their families that included the use of anti-retroviral treatments.
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