HIV Patients to Benefit from Herpes Treatment

Treatment for genital herpes might slow the progression of the AIDS virus in patients having both diseases, researchers say.

This conclusion was made as the result of a test involving 140 women infected with HIV and genital herpes in Burkina Faso (West Africa). The research was carried out by a group led by Dr. Nicolas Nagot of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Мedicine.

During the test the women were treated with 500 milligrams of the drug valacyclovir twice a day for three months. It was found that such treatment made the women less likely to spread the AIDS virus.

What is more, valacyclovir reduced the levels of HIV in the blood, the researchers found.

The effect of the drug increased steadily over time thus leading to the conclusion that a longer duration of treatment might have caused even more considerable reduction in the amount of the AIDS virus detected. This was concluded in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Among those HIV positive about 70 percent in Europe and 90 perсent in Africa simultaneously have genital herpes.

Until today doctors did not pay so much attention to treatment for genital herpes in those infected wtih HIV, as this virus is not as dangerous as the virus of AIDS.

According to Dr. Philip Keiser running the AIDS clinic at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dalls, the new study might change the situation. The doctor was not involved in the study.

He says that the best thing the doctors can do now is to get 70-80 percent of partinet to the point where they could completely surpress the virus of AIDS. This implies that circa 20 or 30 percent of patients will not do well.

As well Philip Keiser is going to change the way he treats patients who simultaneously have both the virus of AIDS and genital herpes. He says he will keep the pacients on the drugs treating genital herpes longer. Phillip Keiser that this could increase the success rate and help the patients do better over the recovery.

The reserarches who carried out the test already knew that STDs such as herpes and honorrhea could make people less likely to get HIV which is transmitted mostly through sex.