AIDS awareness: Therapy prescribed for people with HIV
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been in existence for a long time now and people are still not aware of how to deal with the patient. Here's what doctors recommend
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a life-threatening chronic condition caused due to the human immunodeficiency virus where HIV is a sexually transmitted infection that damages the body’s immune system further disabling the capability to fight an infection or disease. If HIV is not treated in time, it can lead to AIDS and though AIDS has been in existence for a long time now, people are still not aware of how to deal with the patient.
The stigma around AIDS and HIV continue to exist amongst communities that are unaware of the disease’s know-how hence, it becomes essential to know more about this disease and bust myths surrounding it. HIV still remains to be a major global health issue however, with advancement in diagnosis and treatment, people diagnosed with HIV can live longer and healthy lives.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Amit Gupta, National Executive Council Member at RSSDI, revealed, “The therapy prescribed for people with HIV usually comprises antiviral medications. Some of these medicines come with the side effect of altering blood sugar levels, especially by increasing the concentration of blood glucose. Therefore, it is recommended that people with HIV should get their glucose levels checked both before starting the course of treatment and during the treatment. This helps keep track of the onset of diabetes.”
Dr Sanjay Gupta, Internal Medicine at Paras Hospital in Gurugram, cautioned, “Infected blood, illicit injection drugs and sharing the same needles with the infected person can spread the disease. If an expecting mother is suffering from AIDS, it can be passed on to the baby during pregnancy and even breastfeeding. Having unprotected sex with an infected can pass on the condition and lead to severe outcomes. According to research, our country has reported more than 17 lakh HIV cases over the past 10 years due to unprotected sex. People are still stubborn about using birth control and this leads to fatal situations in many. Social stigma is a huge culprit and spreads many diseases to the vulnerable crowd as well. Albeit campaigns these days are taking the good initiative to spread the right message and we can also see the numbers dropping.”