"Elite" HIV patients mystify doctors

[Fridays Child]

"Elite" HIV patients mystify doctors

As many as one in 300 HIV patients never get sick and never suffer damage to their immune systems and AIDS experts said on Wednesday they want to know why.

Most have gone unnoticed by the top researchers, because they are well, do not need treatment and do not want attention, said Dr. Bruce Walker of Harvard Medical School.

But Walker and colleagues want to study these so-called "elite" patients in the hope that their cases can help in the search for a vaccine or treatments.

"What in the heck is going on in people that successfully control this virus?" Walker asked a news conference held at the 16th International Conference on AIDS.

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[William769]

1. I'll bet money most if not all of these people are compliant with their

Antivirals. At least that has been my success so far.

ON EDIT: I should have read the whole article before responding. I went 10 years before I got sick enough to have to be put on meds.

[hobbit709]

2. Mutants!

I know they linked a gentic mutation among plague survivors to high resistance to HIV. My little brother has been HIV+ since 1981 and is doing fine.

[JackBeck]

7. Survivors of the Black Plague have a mutation on their CD4 cells.

There are two receptors that HIV grabs on and latches to on the CD4 cell. Descendants of the Black Plague are missing receptor, or one that has been changed so that HIV cannot enter to CD4 cell and reproduce.

[Roon]

3. My ex-lover

He's had it for ten years, never been sick, doesn't take meds, t-cells 1,000,viral load..undectable

[Maat]

4. He should contact the doctor above.

I had a friend that was a researcher (we've lost contact). They are really hoping to identify those like your ex-lover. People usually have to come forward, and tell their story. Hopefully, when enough come forward, they can start testing to see what's unique about those individuals' immune systems.

Maybe we can develop a medicine or vaccine then ...

[Fridays Child]

5. I hope he's made himself available to researchers.

[JackBeck]

6. My co-worker has been positive since '81 and does not take HIV meds.

He does, however, take Predinisone, which has worked for him for years.

And this whole "elite" thing. Anyone else have a problem with that word? In the field we like to refer to them as Long Term Non-Progressors. Maybe it's just me, but doesn't the word "elite" carry some negative stereotypes with it?