According to a research report, thousands of people suffering from AIDS can be saved if this disease was diagnosed and patients infected with the HIV virus were treated earlier than the guidelines stipulate.
Current guidelines stipulate that a person with a CD4 T cell count less than 350 cells should be started on HIV treatment immediately. However study reveals that a patient with a blood count between 351 and 500 had a larger chance of survival than those who wait for the count to fall below 350 cells per blood cubic meter. These patients may not have symptoms of aids but are more likely to live than those who wait for symptom.
According to a statement to WebMD by Kitahata, people who are treated with a blood count between 351 and 500 have an improvement of 70% survival chances. She also added that antiretroviral therapy must be started as soon as a patient’s blood count drops below 500 instead of waiting for them to exhibit symptoms. It is generally too late by then.
Study findings were presented by Kitahata at a meeting between the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Society for Microbiology.
Study also shows that with a significant delay in commencement of treatment, the patient’s nervous and immune systems are irrevocably affected. Kitahata added that while the current guidelines have helped reduce the number of AIDS related deaths, attention must be given to the evidence generated by the new data and earlier treatment must be commenced on patients to further help cut death rates.
