Saturday, July 11, 2009

Human Growth Hormone - HGH to Reduce HIV Patients' Fat Deposits

In recent times there have been multiple uses of Human Growth Hormone (HGH). This has led to its use in multiple applications in science and medicine. More recently it has been used and tested as a possible option in the treatment of HIV fat deposits.

HIV Treatment Side Effects

Studies have shown that HIV treatments have resulted in the unwanted side-effect of resulting fat deposits in the body. These fat deposits are called visceral fat, and greatly increase the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases in the body. The fat deposits are usually found in areas in the stomach, neck, and cheeks. The levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar also shoot up because of these fatty deposits hence the increase in risk of heart disease.

Testing HGH on Fatty Deposits

A study was therefore made with the help of small doses of HGH. An experiment was conducted with 55 patients who were HIV positive. These patients naturally had low levels of natural HGH, which is a common factor in HIV patients with abnormally high fat deposits.

The results of the experiment have shown a marked reduction in the fat buildup in the body, particularly in these problem areas enumerated earlier. The amount of reduction especially in the abdominal area amounted to as much as a 10% reduction. This means that there is less risk of cardiovascular disease for patients such as these.

Unwanted Side Effects for Diabetes Patients

However, for patients with diabetes problems there have been side-effects. The side-effects were most especially seen in the abnormal rise of blood sugar levels in the bodies of these patients. It was also noted that although there was a rise in the blood sugar levels, there was however a significant decrease in blood pressure. Another general side effect seen in higher levels of HGH dosage was some abnormal inflammation of both tissues and joints.

This experimentation with HGH and fat levels in the body has led scientists to believe that the treatment could be used only with patients who have normal blood sugar levels. Treatment using HGH cannot be applied to those with diabetes problems as it becomes too much of a health risk.

Further Research Required

Further research must be made, and other treatments secured as this application of HGH to fatty deposits is too limited in scope. This leads scientists to further experimentation on other possible treatments for the fatty deposits resulting from continued HIV treatments.

What the Future Holds

It is refreshing to note that Human Growth Hormone has now had some noteworthy practical applications, especially this treatment of fatty deposits in HIV patients. If only HGH was used in more constructive ways, then the stigma that comes with it and its' abuse can be lessened. Scientists have shown that HGH can be an asset in the continuing fight against HIV and the complications that result from it. We can only wish them all the luck in further experiments for the future.


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Sunday, July 5, 2009

AIDS Treatment - HAART Method

According to medical experts, HIV/AIDS can be the cause of the most dreadful epidemic mankind has ever witnessed. Human immunodeficiency virus is a sexually transmitted infection that does not have any cure till date. All the available treatment options for this disease are capable of suppressing the symptoms. Best among these treatment options is the one that suppresses AIDS-related symptoms for as long as possible. As per the recommendations made by a panel of leading AIDS specialists, highly active retroviral therapy or HAART is one such treatment option.

The basic objective of HAART method is to improve the life expectancy of a HIV-infected person by reducing the amount of virus present in the blood to very low or almost undetectable levels. This objective is achieved by means of administrating more than 2 different kinds of anti-retroviral drugs as a combination therapy. These anti-retroviral drugs are medications used for the treatment of infections caused by retroviruses like HIV. There are six different classes of antiretroviral drugs available in the market whose function is to act as potent inhibitors at different stages of HIV lifecycle and prevent the growth, replication and proliferation of the virus.

Combination of antiretroviral drugs belonging to different classes helps in creating multiple obstacles for the virus at each stage of its lifecycle thus reducing the ability of the virus to replicate. This strategy has also been effective against drug-resistant strains of HIV. Drug-resistant strains arise as a result of mutations occurring in the viral genome. The most favored combination of antiretroviral drugs in a HAART method is the triple-cocktail approach where two nucleoside-analogue RTIs and one non-nucleoside-analogue RTI or a protease inhibitor are used.

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