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Vitamin D May Improve Bone Health in Young HIV+ People Taking Tenofovir

Taking vitamin D supplements may help prevent hormonal changes linked to bone loss among young adults whose antiretroviral regimen includes tenofovir (Viread, also in the Truvada and Atripla combination pills), according to a recent announcement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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HIV and Aging Experts Release Guidelines for Managing Older People with HIV

As people with HIV live longer thanks to effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), managing conditions associated with aging has become a major aspect of HIV medicine.

In advance of World AIDS Day (December 1), the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM), the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), and the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA) announced the release of a collaborative report offering "best practice" guidelines -- the first ever -- for managing co-existing conditions in older (age 50 and above) HIV positive patients.

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Electrocautery Prevents Progression to Anal Cancer in HIV Positive and Negative Gay Men

Electrocautery ablation to remove abnormal tissue significantly reduced the likelihood of progression to anal cancer for both HIV positive and HIV negative gay men with high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia, according to a study described in the November 30, 2011, advance online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

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IDSA: Heart Problems Are Common Among People with HIV, but Largely Related to Modifiable Risk Factors

Structural and functional cardiac abnormalities were found in more than half of an HIV positive cohort in Washington, DC, according to a report at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA 2011) last month in Boston. Heart problems were often related to modifiable factors such as obesity and diabetes, suggesting that lifestyle changes may lower the risk.

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Immune Deficiency Linked to Non-AIDS Cancers in People with HIV

HIV positive people appear more likely than their HIV negative counterparts to develop several types of non-AIDS cancer, and the risk rises with declining immune function, according to a large study of Kaiser Permanente members published in the December 2011 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention.

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Hepatitis C Patients May Have Increased Risk of Stroke

People with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection appear to have a higher likelihood of dying from strokes than uninfected individuals, according to research reported in the December 2010 issue of Stroke. Over 17 years of follow-up, nearly 3% of HCV seropositive people dieddue to cerebrovascular events, compared with 1% of HCV negative people; furthermore, the risk of stroke death rose with increasing HCV viral load.

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Premature Aging and Age-Related Conditions in People with HIV

Older HIV positive people were more likely to have multiple health problems at an earlier age, matching those of HIV negative individuals 10 years older, according to an Italian study described in the December 2011 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. A Swiss study in the same issue found that non-AIDS-related conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, bone loss, and diabetes are a growing concern as people with HIV survive to older ages due to effective antiretroviral treatment.

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October 29 Is World Stroke Day

Saturday, October 29, has been designated World Stroke Day, an opportunity to raise awareness about how to prevent strokes -- which studies indicate occur more often among people with HIV and those with hepatitis C -- and how to recognize stroke symptoms to enable prompt treatment.

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