According to an international study it is proven that pursuing HIV treatment as early as possible which includes an immediate medication regimen after initial diagnosis can actually help people postpone the more severe symptoms.
According to the World Health Organization or WHO, in 2013, an estimates 2.1 million people worldwide contracted Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV, an incurable viral infection that wreaks havoc on the immune system and can eventually leads to AIDS or Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases and part of the National Institutes of Health said, “It’s just more scientific evidence to back what we’ve been saying for a time now.”
Dr Fauci added, “We now have clear-cut proof that it is of significantly greater health benefit to an HIV-infected person to start antiretroviral therapy sooner rather than later.”
Furthermore, he goes on to say, “These findings have global implications for the treatment of HIV. This is another incentive to seek out testing and start therapy early, because you will benefit.”
Researchers have decided to stop the study more than a year early because the preliminary data showed that those who got the treatment early were 53 percent less likely to die during the trial or develop AIDS or serious illness than those who did not receive the treatment at an early stage.
Fauci continued saying, “I actually had no doubt how it was going to turn out. I just think we needed to prove it in a very well controlled way.”
The World Health Organization or WHO is now aiming to look at their own treatment guidelines as well.
Dr. Jens Lundgren, professor at the University of Copenhagen and co-sponsor of the study said, “This is an important milestone in HIV research.”
He added, “We now have strong evidence that early treatment is beneficial to the HIV-positive person. These results support treating everyone irrespective of CD4 T-cell count.”
Studies actually show that even in United States, where the treatment is readily available, HIV patients do not generally seek treatment quickly after diagnosis.
