Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

January/February 2000

AIDS 1999 - The Blessing and the Curse
Presented by Ken Lichtenstein, M.D.
by Judy Nesbitt, Illinois DDSAIDS

AIDS, 1999 HAS BOTH A blessing and a curse-the blessing with the development of the new drugs that have proven to be successful in the prolongation of human life but not without a curse of the side effects caused by these drugs. Currently, there are not one but three classes of drug therapy available. In combating AIDS which combined attack AIDS in various stages. Overall AIDS is declining in this country but world wide AIDS is increasing. The major problem elsewhere in the world is unavailability of drugs. The current rationale of AIDS treatment is to hit the virus early and hit it hard. Early intervention leads to early resistance. Use of a single drug is contraindicated as not being effective. Use of this new aggressive therapy is a dramatic decrease in death and disease. Clinical data shows great reduction in previously intractable secondary infections. An adverse side of these new treatments is that 34% of AIDS patients are under 35 years of age with beginning signs of AIDS infection in adolescents. Twenty-three percent of people infected with AIDS in this country are women-an increase from findings in the 1980s. Hispanics and black Americans are over represented with this disease and for the first time, homosexual population are not the majority of AIDS infected people. Health care in the USA is another “curse”. Experienced hospital providers, clinics are not able to get AIDS patients until it is an advanced disease. Need to hit the disease early is mandatory. A positive note is that the use of the multiple drug treatment shows a decrease in medical health care, cost of health care, reduction in mortality and cost. Numerous side effects are presenting itself as treatment continues. Toxicity-a variety of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, anemia, hypersensitivity are associated with the drugs. Furthermore, there is change in body composition as increase in abdominal girth, massive fats in back of neck, painful other body enlargements. Other problems include peripheral neuropathy with pain, numbness, tingling in extremities, sensory and not motor loss. Rashes are some other symptoms, also dizziness and headaches. In summary, use of AIDS preventive inhibitors therapy outweigh the increased side effects. In regards to our current medical listing on AIDS/HIV infections and with the changing blessings and curses of triple drug treatment, Social Security needs to rethink our approach to evaluation of this infection. As mortality is on the decline of the AIDS claimant, emphasis should be on the decreasing secondary impairments and more details on resulting side effects should be considered.