PA Editor Jeff Berry on Sirius Radio
CDC report shows 12% annual increase in HIV diagnosis among MSM ages 13-24
People with HIV face increased risk of deep vein clotting, study suggests
HIV/AIDS cases on the rise among adults ages 50 and older in Georgia and Florida
PA Editor Jeff Berry on Sirius Radio
Tune in to Sirius Satellite Radio on channel 109 tomorrow morning, Thursday, July 10, at 8:30 AM (ET) / 7:30 AM (CT) for a live interview with PA Editor Jeff Berry. Berry is scheduled to appear as a guest on “OutQ in the Morning with Larry Flick” and will talk about Transgender and HIV, the focus of the July/August issue of Positively Aware magazine. If you are not a current subscriber of Sirius Radio, go to www.siriusoutq.com to sign up for a free 3-day trial and listen to the show.
back to top
CDC report shows 12% annual increase in HIV diagnosis among MSM ages 13-24
According to a recent study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the reported incidence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) ages 13 to 24 increased by 12.4% annually between 2001 and 2006.
The CDC analyzed data from 33 states for the purpose of this study. However, numbers from states with large minority and MSM populations such as Illinois, California, and Georgia were not included.
Of the 214,379 HIV diagnoses recorded within these 33 states during the study period, 46% were among MSM, reflecting an estimated annual percentage increase of 1.5%. However, the rate of new diagnoses in all other transmission categories, including high-risk heterosexual contact and injection drug use, was in decline.
The greatest increase among MSM occurred among those between the ages of 13 and 24, with an annual average increase of 8% among Latinos, 9% among whites and 15% among blacks. An increase of 3% was also observed in the rate among MSM age 45 and older, while the rate among MSM between the ages of 25 and 44 declined by 1%.
“When you see a 15% yearly increase, that is an epidemic that is out of control,” said Phill Wilson, executive director of the Black AIDS Institute, to the Washington Post. “And yet we don’t see a response that recognizes it as an epidemic out of control.”
back to top
People with HIV face increased risk of deep vein clotting, study suggests
A study conducted by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine that has recently been published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS) found that people living with HIV are at greater risk of potentially dangerous blood clots in major blood vessels, a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Spearheaded by Aima Ahonkhai, M.D. and colleagues, the study explored the incidence of DVT among Johns Hopkins University AIDS Service patients. The researchers found the risk of DVT among HIV-positive patients to be approximately 0.54% per patient per year. These findings support previously conducted research on DVT in people living with HIV, which suggests that about 1 to 2% of HIV-positive people will develop the condition at some point in their lives, a rate that is 10 times higher than that found among HIV-negative people.
Oftentimes, because many of the blood clots that occur in DVT are small and are broken down by the body with no long-term side effects, there are no symptoms associated with it. If left undiagnosed and untreated, however, DVT can cause pain, swelling, and numbness in the legs and can cause a life-threatening blockage if it moves to the pulmonary artery in the chest.
Those in the Hopkins study with lower CD4 counts, higher viral loads, and low hemoglobin were more likely to develop DVT than those who didn’t. No relationship was observed between the use of antiretroviral therapy and the onset of DVT.
back to top
HIV/AIDS cases on the rise among adults ages 50 and older in Georgia and Florida
Recent data from the Georgia Department of Human Resources’ Division of Public Health show that HIV/AIDS diagnoses among adults ages 50 and older have nearly doubled in the last 10 years.
Incidentally, the Florida Department of Health recently released data indicating that new HIV diagnoses among people in that same age group have increased from 11% of all new diagnoses in the state in 1998 to 15% in 2006. The health department’s Bureau of HIV/AIDS also reported that of the 125,000 recorded HIV/AIDS cases in Florida, roughly 26% are over the age of 50.
“What accounts for these numbers is a mixture of patients infected previously who are presenting late in the course of the disease as well as patients with high-risk activities who are getting infected later in life,” explained David Rimland, chief of infectious diseases at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and professor of medicine at Emory University.
“It’s a problem,” said Marlene Lalota of the Florida Bureau of HIV/AIDS. “We have an epidemic of HIV in older people in Florida.”
Current CDC guidelines recommend “opt-out” HIV screening in individuals up to age 64, which allows health care providers to test for HIV without written consent. In the state of Georgia, however, written consent is required before an HIV test can be conducted.
“Unless they ask specifically for the HIV test, they won’t get the test done nor will they know their HIV status,” said Gillian Sanders, associate professor of medicine at Duke University, to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sanders is the author of a recent study which suggests that HIV testing may be cost effective for people up to age 75.
“Age alone should not be a contraindication for HIV screening.”
back to top
|
