www.hivandhepatitis.com

CROI 2011: FDA Safety Review Does Not Find Abacavir-Heart Attack Link

A meta-analysis by researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adds to the ongoing debate about the association between the NRTI abacavir (Zaigen, also in the Epzicom and Trizivir coformulations) and increased risk of myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular events. The new review of 26 randomized clinical trials, presented as a poster at the 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2011) this week in Boston, did not reveal a significant link between abacavir and heart attacks.

Read more:

Risk Factors for Cancer Mortality among People with HIV

HIV positive people on antiretroviral therapy are more likely to die after cancer diagnosed if they have poor immune function as indicated by a low CD4 T-cell count or are unable to achieve undetectable viral load, according to a study published in the December 14, 2010 advance online edition of AIDS. Regular cancer screening starting at a younger age and prompt treatment could help improve survival in this population, investigators advised.

Read more:

Risk of Strokes Is Increasing for People with HIV

The number of HIV positive people hospitalized due to ischemic strokes -- the type caused by blocked blood flow to the brain -- increased by 60% over the past decade, even as the number fell among the U.S. population at large, according to research described in the January 19, 2011, advance online issue of Neurology. Even after accounting for the larger number of people living with HIV, stroke risk increased by about 40% since 2001.

Read more:

People with HIV Have Increased Bone Fracture Risk

HIV positive people in the HIV Outpatient Study were more likely to sustain bone fractures compared with the general population of the same age, according to a study described in the March 10, 2011, advance online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. In addition to known factors including hepatitis C coinfection, lowest-ever CD4 cell count was identified as a new risk factor for bone breaks.

Read more:

Prevention Task Force Recommends Wider Bone Screening for Older Women

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) this week issued revised guidelines, published in the January 17, 2011, advance online edition of Annals of Internal Medicine, recommending that all women age 65 and older should be screened for bone loss, along with younger women -- and presumably men -- who have equivalent risk. HIV and its treatment may raise the likelihood of bone loss, and experts recently recommended earlier bone screening for HIV positive women and men.

Read more:

Is Bone Loss Related to Immune Reconstitution in People on ART?

Immune system recovery and rising T-cell counts after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) may contribute to bone loss among people with HIV, according to data from a small study presented at the 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2011) this month in Boston. A better understanding of early bone loss may allow for preventive therapies.

Read more:

Elevated Triglyceride Level Increases Likelihood of Peripheral Neuropathy

HIV positive people with higher blood triglyceride levels are more likely to develop peripheral sensory neuropathy, or nerve damage, according to a study described in the January 14, 2011 issue of AIDS. Investigators suggested that the relationship might be due to changes in mitochondria function associated with elevated triglycerides.

Read more:

Bone Loss and Low Vitamin D Levels Are Common among People with HIV

Nearly half of HIV positive people taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a Spanish study had low bone mineral density, and more than one-quarter experienced progressive bone loss, according to findings presented at the 50th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC 2010) last month in Boston. Two other studies found that HIV positive people are likely to have low levels of vitamin D, which is crucial for bone health.