Guest fountainhall Posted December 2, 2011 Posted December 2, 2011 Over a year ago, I posted news of a long article in the New Yorker magazine which highlighted a new development in some HIV patients who had been on drug therapies for more than about 8 years. It stated that these patients had become susceptible to a number of additional ailments more commonly associated with ageing and older people. One condition was osteoporosis. See Post #4 http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/7048-hiv-and-aids/page__p__50340__hl__%2Byork+%2Bmagazine__fromsearch__1#entry50340 Yesterday there was a Reuters article on new findings from Asia, including Thailand, which show that teenagers receiving HIV treatments are now showinging early signs of osteoporosis. A long-term study of 4,000 HIV patients under the age of 23 in Asia by TREAT Asia also showed that a high percentage of teenagers had low bone mineral density, a precursor of osteoporosis. "We did a special X-ray on these teenagers who are about 16 years old and found that 15 percent of them had low bone mass," Annette Sohn, director of TREAT Asia, said. "That is not normal. Kids are not supposed to have low bone mass when they're 16 years old and that's because of the effect of HIV on their bodies ... brain, bone, immune system." Sohn, a pediatric specialist for children with HIV/AIDS, said this may also be due to toxic effects that some AIDS drugs, such as tenofovir, have on bones. "It is not so much about avoiding one drug or another but being aware of these side effects, studying what drug doses will suppress the virus while not being toxic, having the resources to monitor the side effects, and having access to alternate drugs if they do arise." The study covers Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia and India. TREAT Asia is a network of clinics, hospitals and research institutions working together to improve treatment access. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/01/us-children-asia-drugs-idUSTRE7B025520111201 The article also raises disturbing issues about children as young as five becoming resistant to existing drug therapies. Quote
