Cannabis in people with HIV: pros, cons and open questions
Luego de décadas de una férrea oposición al consumo de cannabis, las políticas internacionales antidrogas están contemplando la posibilidad de despenalizar su uso, inicialmente para fines medicinales. Esto incluye a las personas que viven con VIH. Mientras esa discusión se da en lo formal, la experiencia cotidiana revela que muchas personas con padecimientos crónicos, como […]
Pregnant and with HIV? These are the answers to your questions
A pesar de que el VIH afecta en distinta medida a las mujeres alrededor del mundo, la mayoría de ellas no percibe estar en riesgo de esta infección. Debido al estigma que, hace 40 años, relacionó a este virus con los hombres gays o las personas dedicadas al trabajo sexual, muchas mujeres que no están […]
Enjoy the pleasure of eating, even with HIV
Eating is a pleasure that is sometimes disrupted by various medical treatments, including those related to HIV control. If you have just started antiretroviral treatment, you will know that food-related side effects are among the most common of these drugs. The good news is that they are milder than those caused by older antiretroviral, and […]
Rash: an HIV-related nuisance
Rash has been one of the symptoms traditionally associated with HIV infection. It is true that there may be a rash in the first few weeks after transmission, however we cannot think that any (or all) rash is related to this virus.No type of rash is unique to HIV, says Medical News Today, a site […]
How to better adhere to your antiretroviral treatment?
You have been diagnosed with HIV and now you must take another big step, perhaps more important than going for a test: start and adhere to antiretroviral treatment. Adherence to long-term treatment is one of the greatest challenges in care, since taking medication for life can be a very great emotional burden. So if you […]
HIV: Do you know what internalized stigma is?
According to sociology, stigma is a condition or trait that is attributed to a person and that causes society to classify them in a group of which they have a negative opinion. Unfortunately, the stigma that still persists around HIV leads to the idea that those living with the virus “asked for it” by engaging […]
Management of two chronic diseases: diabetes and HIV
Starting in 1996, when the first treatment scheme to stop HIV was created, people began to talk about this infection as something manageable, which had become a chronic disease “like diabetes”. The latter is a disease characterized by the body’s inability to produce insulin, which processes sugars, and is one of the most common chronic […]
Oral lesions want to tell you something
If you are living with HIV, you know that some symptoms in your body may be indicating something else. And you also know that you should pay special attention to the health of your mouth, since the mucosa that covers it can be quite vulnerable to certain effects. Small and annoying injuries They are small […]
Lymph nodes and what they tell us about HIV
Has it happened to you that you run your fingers through your neck and notice lumps, as well as some pain, just below your jaw, at the level of your ears? If you have already gone through some health problems, you know that there are two lymph nodes in that place, and that if they […]
HIV and psoriasis, a close relationship
Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease whose main symptom is skin rashes, which are very striking due to their intense red color and scaling, which cause significant repercussions on the self-esteem of those who suffer from it. Until recently it was considered a skin disease that could spread and affect other structures, mainly nails and joints, […]
Premature aging due to HIV: how to stop it
In recent years, research has shown that people with HIV experience accelerated cellular aging, regardless of whether or not they are on antiretroviral therapy. Unlike those without HIV, people with the virus appear to have age-related conditions and diseases long before the general population. For example, heart disease, some cancers, and cognitive problems (such as […]
Older people with HIV need multiple specialists
Thanks to the high efficacy of antiretroviral treatments, more and more people with HIV are reaching old age, which is posing new challenges for their health care. Although the infection can be controlled with medication, bringing the quality of life closer to that of people without HIV, it is also true that those who have […]