The Guide to Living with HIV Infection: Developed at the Johns Hopkins AIDS Clinic

The Guide to Living with HIV Infection: Developed at the Johns Hopkins AIDS Clinic
ISBN-10
0801858542
ISBN-13
9780801858543
Series
The Guide to Living with HIV Infection
Category
HIV infections
Pages
422
Language
English
Published
1998
Authors
John G. Bartlett, Ann K. Finkbeiner

Description

Winner of the 1992 American Medical Writers' Association Book Award When the third edition of The Guide to Living with HIV was published in 1996, the best hope for people with HIV infection or AIDS was treatment with drugs like AZT, to which HIV soon became resistant. In just three years, however, dramatic new treatments have emerged which all but eliminate HIV in the bloodstream. "In my twenty-five years of medical practice," writes Dr. John Bartlett with cautious optimism, "no other breakthrough has translated so quickly to palpable health." In this fourth edition, Dr. Bartlett, director of the Infectious Diseases Division at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and science writer Ann Finkbeiner update their widely acclaimed guide in light of developments that have transformed the way we think about treating HIV and AIDS. They describe the breakthrough in understanding how HIV reproduces which pointed to new strategies to track the infection and suppress the virus. They explain the importance of the "viral load" test to measure the amount of HIV in the blood and more accurately gauge a person's response to treatments. And they discuss the remarkable results of using new AZT-class drugs in combination with newly developed protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The combination of these three classes of drugs virtually stops HIV, drastically reducing the virus's numbers and ability to become resistant, while allowing immune cells to rebound. The authors emphasize the importance of receiving this good news cautiously, since no one knows what the long-term health consequences of taking these powerful drugs might be, or whether the virus will once again develop resistance. Treatment, they explain, is far from easy: most people require at least three different kinds of pills (or "triple therapy"), for a total of up to 20 pills a day. The side effects are difficult, treatment costs between $10,000 and $12,000 a year, and new stresses accompany the uncertainty about long-term effectiveness. Despite the need for caution, the fourth edition of The Guide to Living with HIV Infection explains how to help ensure the effectiveness of the new treatments and, for those for whom the treatments don't work, how to remain well as long as possible. The book remains the most complete resource of its kind for people with HIV and AIDS and for their families and friends. New to this edition: * Detailed discussions of new drugs and how they must be administered in order to be effective * Updated information on the transmission of HIV * Information about new tests for HIV, including home kits and tests using saliva and urine * Discussion of the importance of tracking "viral load" and CD4 cell count * New tables, showing prognosis according to CD4 count, and drugs used to treat or prevent wasting * New information on opportunistic infections * Advice on how to live with uncertainty * New guidelines for choosing physicians * Updated resources, including addresses for websites

Other editions

Similar books

  • The Guide to Living with HIV Infection: Developed at the Johns Hopkins AIDS Clinic
    By John G. Bartlett, Ann K. Finkbeiner, Johns Hopkins AIDS Clinic

    A guide to living with HIV infection. In this new edition, Dr. John Bartlett and Ann Finkbeiner thoroughly update their discussion of the disease, from the evolving issue of when...

  • A Woman's Guide to Living with HIV Infection
    By Jill Hayes, Rebecca A. Clark, Robert T. Maupin Jr.

    This new edition of A Woman’s Guide to Living with HIV Infection includes the latest information on diagnosis and treatments as well as recent findings about pregnancy and HIV, starting treatments when you have HIV-related complications, ...

  • Living with HIV: A Patient's Guide, 2d ed.
    By RN, Mark Cichocki

    In its updated and expanded second edition, this helpful guide offers a wealth of information for people living with HIV and for people caring for HIV-positive loved ones.

  • HIV & AIDS: The Essential Guide
    By Robert Duffy

    More than 6,000 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2015. This book can help people recognise signs and symptoms of HIV and AIDS. It can also help people identify and avoid risky behaviors that may lead to an HIV infection.

  • No Time to Wait: A Complete Guide to Treating, Managing, and Living with HIV Infection
    By Suzanne Lipsett, Nick Siano

    Here is the most up-to-the-minute treatment information--from the most conventional to those not yet approved by the FDA. Licensed HIV counselor Siano provides a clear understanding of the virus in...

  • A Guide to AIDS
    By Omar Bagasra, Donald Gene Pace

    The Guide to AIDS is succinct review of HIV/AIDS from a human-interest perspective.

  • HIV and Social Work: A Practitioner's Guide
    By R Dennis Shelby, David M Aronstein, Bruce J Thompson

    Acknowledging your busy schedule, the book is organized so that you may use it on a “knowledge as needed” basis or read it straight through.

  • Managing Your Health: A Guide for People Living with HIV Or AIDS
    By Craig McClure, Toronto People With AIDS Foundation, Community AIDS Treatment Information Exchange

    Managing Your Health: A Guide for People Living with HIV Or AIDS

  • The No-nonsense Guide to HIV/AIDS
    By Shereen Usdin

    ... series The No - Nonsense Guide to Globalization The No - Nonsense Guide to Fair Trade The No - Nonsense Guide to Climate Change The No - Nonsense Guide to International Migration The No - Nonsense Guide to Sexual Diversity The No ...

  • Mental Health Practitioner's Guide to HIV/AIDS
    By Sana Loue

    Medical issues, including alternative healing, clinical trials, and aging with HIV. Care-related topics: access, standards, caregivers’ issues, and more.