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This Week in JAMA
JAMA. 2000;284:145.
HIV/AIDS
A JAMA THEME ISSUE
Edited by Jeanette M. Smith, MD
Current antiretroviral drugs interfere with replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A promising strategy for the development of new anti-HIV drugs is to target steps in the process of viral entry into host cells.
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Interleukin 2 as Adjunct to Antiretroviral Therapy
Restoration of immune function after antiretroviral therapy is variable and often incomplete, even when HIV replication is controlled. In this trial of interleukin 2 (IL-2) as an adjunct to antiretroviral therapy in patients at an intermediate stage of HIV infection, Davey and colleagues (SEE ARTICLE) found that after 1 year, patients who received combination therapy had a significantly greater mean percentage increase in CD4 cell counts and a greater reduction in plasma HIV RNA levels than patients who received antiretroviral therapy alone. Lederman and Valdez (SEE ARTICLE) review factors that influence the extent of immune restoration and the long-term survival of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. In an editorial, Blankson and Siliciano (SEE ARTICLE) discuss limitations of highly active antiretroviral therapy and how immunomodulatory actions of IL-2 may complement this therapy.
Survival of Children Infected With HIV
The effect of antiretroviral therapy on the survival of children with HIV infection has been limited to data from clinical trials. In this analysis of population-based data from children with perinatally acquired HIV infection, de Martino and colleagues report that survival for children in the 1996-1997 birth cohort was significantly longer than for cohorts born between 1981 and 1995. Survival was unchanged between calendar periods 1981 to 1989 and 1990 to 1995, but increased significantly in calendar period 1996-1998. Double combination therapy was associated with a 30% decrease in the risk of death compared with no antiretroviral therapy, and triple combination therapy, with a 70% decrease.
(SEE ARTICLE)
HIV Prevalence in Young Men Who Have Sex With Men
Studies in the late 1980s suggested that the HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men had peaked, but most men in these studies were aged 30 years or older. The Young Men's Survey, a cross-sectional survey conducted from 1994 through 1998 in 7 metropolitan areas, sampled men aged 15 to 22 years in public venues frequented by men who have sex with men. Valleroy and colleagues report that the overall prevalence of HIV infection in the survey sample of 3492 men who have sex with men was 7.2%. Factors strongly associated with HIV infection included black and mixed or other race; having ever had anal sex with a man; or having had sex with 20 or more men.
(SEE ARTICLE)
Cancer in Children With AIDS
In this population-based analysis, Biggar and colleagues linked data from 4954 children aged 14 years and younger at AIDS diagnosis to cancer registry data in 11 US geographic areas. One hundred twenty-four children (2.5%) were identified as having cancer before, at, or after AIDS onset. The most frequently occurring cancer was non-Hodgkin lymphoma (100 cases), followed by Kaposi sarcoma (8 cases), leiomyosarcoma (4 cases), and Hodgkin disease (2 cases). For all cancer types identified, the number of observed cancers among children with AIDS during the 2 years after AIDS onset exceeded the expected number of cancers based on population rates.
(SEE ARTICLE)
Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Viral Infections
Direct viral detection with nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) on small pools of blood donor specimens is being evaluated as a blood donation screening measure to improve detection of infectious units donated after infection of the donor but before seroconversion has occurred. In a case study of 2 individuals who became infected with HIV after transfusion with blood products from 1 donor that tested negative for HIV antibodies and p24 antigen, Ling and colleagues (SEE ARTICLE) determined that NAT screening of single rather than of pooled units would be necessary to detect the small viral load in the infected donation. Trends in the rates of viral infections among blood donors between 1991 and 1996, reported by Glynn and colleagues (SEE ARTICLE) , support the effectiveness of donor screening practices. In an editorial, Klein (SEE ARTICLE) considers the costs of additional measures to improve blood safety in a system in which the risk of transmission of viral infection is already extremely low.
A Piece of My Mind
"To die of AIDS in Africa is an intensely humiliating ordeal, slow . . . obscene." From "I Held Him in My Arms and Wept."
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Medical News & Perspectives
As the 13th International Conference on AIDS convenes this week in South Africa, the host country's HIV/AIDS epidemic—described in a recent report as "the impending catastrophe"—is in the spotlight.
(SEE ARTICLE)
JAMA Patient Page
For your patients: Avoiding diseases transmitted by blood and body fluids.
(SEE ARTICLE)
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