HIV Testing Blog » PEP http://hivtestingblog.com Information and news updates for HIV and STD testing Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:34:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 Benefits of HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis http://hivtestingblog.com/2009/08/14/hiv-treatment/benefits-of-hiv-post-exposure-prophylaxis/ http://hivtestingblog.com/2009/08/14/hiv-treatment/benefits-of-hiv-post-exposure-prophylaxis/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:10:03 +0000 hiv_test http://hivtestingblog.com/?p=165 HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is commonly used among health care workers and other individuals who believe they have recently been exposed to HIV. PEP can actually prevent HIV infection in some individuals, but according to a report in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, even when PEP fails to prevent the infection it may still have beneficial effects.

The report involved a 38-year old gay man who reported having unprotected anal sex with multiple partners in the previous 48 hours. The patient was treated with Truvada as post-exposure prophylaxis. During his treatment the patient reported more episodes of risky sex, causing his treatment to be extended. During his treatment the patient was repeatedly tested for HIV. He received a couple negative HIV results, but after repeated exposures the patient tested HIV-positive.

The patient received three viral load tests shortly after his positive HIV test result. The viral load turned out to be extremely low, and his CD4 count was high. These results were out of the ordinary for someone with an acute HIV infection, and the patient had no HIV seroconversion symptoms. Several more tests were performed on the patient and all of them returned similar findings.

The authors of the article report that the patient’s HIV infection was weaker than usual, and that this result was most likely due to the antiretroviral therapy he was receiving.

*For the complete article please refer to http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

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]]> http://hivtestingblog.com/2009/08/14/hiv-treatment/benefits-of-hiv-post-exposure-prophylaxis/feed/ 0 Nevirapine Warning on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis http://hivtestingblog.com/2009/08/13/hiv-treatment/nevirapine-warning-on-post-exposure-prophylaxis/ http://hivtestingblog.com/2009/08/13/hiv-treatment/nevirapine-warning-on-post-exposure-prophylaxis/#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:58:23 +0000 hiv_test http://hivtestingblog.com/?p=159 HIV-negative persons taking antiretrovirals for postexposure prophylaxis–prevention of infection immediately after a needlestick or sexual exposure to HIV–should avoid using nevirapine except in unusual situations, according to recommendations published in the January 5 MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nevirapine has not been officially recommended for this use, but physicians have used it because of its rapid action and success in preventing mother to infant transmission.

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