Living with HIV is not Nikk Bowden's major concern. Like other people
infected with the virus that causes AIDS what worries him most are the
long-term toxic effects of the medications he takes.
For patients fortunate enough to receive them, drugs have turned
HIV/AIDS from a death sentence into a treatable illness. But muscle
pain and wasting, liver and pancreas problems, diabetes, fat
redistribution and nerve damage are side effects that can occur after
years of use.
"Long-term you do worry as to exactly what it is doing to your body.
If you are expected to be on them for 30-40 years, as some doctors
will tell you, what is going to happen further down the line," said
the 34-year-old decorator from Edinburgh.
"Has enough research been done into this and is it on-going? Are we
going to get the answers as the doctors get them or are they going to
keep them quite quiet?" he added in an interview on Friday.
Bowden, who was infected 7 years ago through unsafe sex, is not alone
in his concerns.
In a survey of nearly 2,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Britain, 69
percent said they did not feel informed enough about the long-term
effects of medications.
Fear of other illnesses, or opportunistic infections, caused by HIV
was second on the list of top concerns followed by the short-term side
effects of the drugs. Patients were less troubled about the
interaction of HIV drugs with other medications, according to the
poll.
Ninety-three percent in the survey conducted by the UK Coalition of
People Living with HIV and AIDS said they had difficulty planning for
the future.
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# posted by Network @ 12:14 AM
