Med. praxi. 2022;19(2):109-114 | DOI: 10.36290/med.2022.015

Patient living with HIV in a general practitioner's outpatient clinic

MUDr. Sam Hofman, doc. MUDr. Dalibor Sedláček, CSc.

Klinika infekčních nemocí a cestovní medicíny Lékařské fakulty Univerzity Karlovy a Fakultní nemocnice Plzeň

HIV infection has been known for more than forty years. Over the course of four decades the disease has become in highly adherent patients treatable with a good prognosis, thanks to the tremendous efforts of many teams of scientists from around the world. Its diagnostic has been widely available since the mid-80s. Treatment has gone through many stages of development. Current approaches use combinations of several treatments blocking different sites in the HIV replication cycle. A properly treated patient should be in good clinical condition, the performance of his cellular immunity should be comparable to healthy individuals, and HIV RNA levels should be below the detection capabilities of the method used (usually PCR) for a long time. A patient treated in this way has a great chance of living to approximately the same age as an HIV-negative peer. Thanks to long-term proper treatment, people living with HIV live much longer than before and develop diseases typical of an aging population. The treatment of these comorbidities often requires an interdisciplinary approach, where an important unifying function is undoubtedly ensured by the general practitioner.

Keywords: AIDS, antiretroviral therapy, HIV, PLWH, HIV RNA.

Published: May 5, 2022  Show citation