THE AIDS is sexually transmitted disease that attacks the immune system of the patient and causes a decrease in the body's natural defenses. It is an advanced stage of infection with virus HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. Therefore, being HIV positive does not mean that a person has AIDS.
→ Is AIDS curable? And the treatment?
Aids is, so far, an incurable disease, so the treatment aims to slow the progression of the disease, controlling the amount of virus in the patient's body. It is important to highlight that HIV infection in the asymptomatic phase is not treated, however, when signs of worsening of the condition appear, the use of antiretrovirals is started.
Drugs known as antiretroviral drugs do not kill the virus, but they ensure that the immune system is not affected as much. There are 22 antiretroviral drugs in Brazil and they are divided into five classes, each with its function. As functions of these drugs, we can mention that they prevent the virus from reproducing, from entering the cell and that the DNA of HIV is inserted into human DNA.
the patient with AIDS must take at least three different antiretrovirals, which are combined. Of these three drugs, it is recommended that two are of different classes to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. These medications must be taken with medical recommendation and with follow-up by this professional to assess the effects on the body. In some people, side effects can be unpleasant and must be reported to the doctor before a new antiretroviral drug is recommended.
It is worth noting that, for a long time, being HIV positive was a death sentence. However, it is important to know that the medications currently available allow a person to live a relatively normal and long life.
→ Has anyone ever been cured of AIDS?
So far, only one person has been considered cured of AIDS. The patient Timothy Ray Brown, known as “Berlin patient”, has been free of the HIV virus since 2008. This patient received a bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia. However, the donor had a mutation known as delta 32. This mutation guaranteed resistance to the virus, which allowed to Timothy the cure of the disease. Despite looking promising, the treatment performed on the Berlin patient is very difficult to be replicated and is not a viable alternative.
More recently, in October 2016, it was announced that a 44-year-old patient had been cured of HIV with the exclusive use of medication. Initially, the patient used antiretroviral drugs to reduce the multiplication of the virus and, later, he received a drug (a kind of vaccine) that made the body recognize the infected cells. After using this product, the patient received another drug (Vornostat) that activated the sleeping cells, ensuring that the immune system was able to respond by fighting the disease.
Despite being an encouraging result, this last case cannot be considered as a cure for the AIDS, because, as it is very recent, there is still a risk that the disease will manifest itself again. The return of the disease has already been observed after a few years in other experiments and, therefore, caution must be exercised in stating that a definitive cure has occurred.
As there is no product or technique that leads to an effective cure for AIDS, it is essential to avoid contact with HIV. For this, risk behaviors such as unprotected sex and sharing of sharp objects must be avoided. In this case, prevention is still the best medicine to avoid the disease.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/doencas/tratamento-cura-aids.htm
