Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - October 15, 2007
Apiradee Treerutkuarkul
According to a pilot study by Ramathibodi Hospital's Faculty of Medicine, published in the Journal of the Medical Association Thailand, the long-term toxicity of antiretroviral treatment has become more recognised through a variety of metabolic abnormalities including lipodystrophy, which affects body fat, and dyslipidemia, which affects the blood.
The latest study, conducted among 56 patients at the hospital, showed a high prevalence of lipodystrophy and dyslipidemia in Thai patients undergoing antiretroviral treatment.
More than 66% of the patients that took part in the study experienced health problems such as high levels of fat in their blood, high blood pressure, abnormal fat redistribution, cardiovascular and kidney disease, diabetes, and insulin resistance.
"In the past, people living with HIV/Aids tended to suffer from diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis C, but now non-communicable diseases have become increasing problems among HIV-positive people dependent on anti-Aids drugs," said Wisit Prasithsirikul, a medical researcher at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute.
Dr Wisit also conducted a study in 2004 and found similar results.
Many patients under the institute's antiretroviral treatment programme for over five years have experienced a high rate of lipid and glucose metabolism abnormalities, which are the major risk factors of cardiovascular and kidney diseases.
The institute, which specialises in treating HIV/Aids patients and communicable diseases, provided free medical treatment for 3,000 HIV-positive patients before the National Health Security Office would include the locally produced anti-Aids drug GPO-VIR in the universal healthcare scheme.
Of the estimated 500,000 people living with HIV/Aids in Thailand, 100,000 are dependent on anti-Aids drugs.
A researcher said his team of researchers are working on a large-scale study to better understand the effects of each anti-Aids drug prescribed for HIV-positive patients under the treatment programme at the institute.
He believed it was essential to conduct clinical monitoring among HIV-positive patients depending on ARV drugs under the universal healthcare scheme in a bid to better understand their effect on the prevalence of these abnormalities.
Nutrition counselling should also be provided for HIV individuals so that they can be more aware of the effects the treatments they are taking have on their bodies and their health.
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