Category Archives: Treatment
Complementary and alternative medicine use among HIV-positive people: Research synthesis and implications for HIV care
Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is prevalent among HIV-positive individuals despite the success of antiretroviral treatments and limited evidence of CAM’s safety and efficacy. To characterize the potential...
Clinical efficacy of high-dose acyclovir in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection: A meta-analysis of randomized individual patient data
A meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials (1792 patients, 2947 patient-years of follow-up) showed that acyclovir (> or = 3200 mg/day) offered a significant survival benefit (P = .006 by log-rank...
Equity and efficiency in scaling up access to HIV-related interventions in resource-limited settings
Purpose of review: The present review focuses on empirical studies examining equity and efficiency in scaling up access to HIV treatment in resource-limited settings. Key themes from reviewed papers are...
The utility of therapeutic drug monitoring for ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C – A critical review
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C. DATA SOURCES: Literature searches were conducted through PubMed (1949-June 2009), EMBASE (1980-June 2009), BIOSIS...
The impact of African Americans’ beliefs about HIV medical care on treatment adherence: A systematic review and recommendations for interventions.
Disparities in access to and retention of regular HIV medical treatment persist among African Americans living with HIV. Many scholars believe that the mistrust of health care held by many...
Home-based care for reducing morbidity and mortality in people infected with HIV/AIDS
BACKGROUND: Home-based care (HBC), to promote quality-of-life and limit hospital care, is used in many countries, especially where public health services are overburdened. OBJECTIVES: This review assessed the effects of...
Stigma in the HIV/AIDS epidemic: A review of the literature and recommendations for the way forward
Although stigma is considered a major barrier to effective responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, stigma reduction efforts are relegated to the bottom of AIDS programme priorities. The complexity of HIV/AIDS-related...
The effects of housing status on health-related outcomes in people living with HIV: A systematic review of the literature
INTRODUCTION: HIV infection is increasingly characterized as a chronic condition that can be managed through adherence to a healthy lifestyle, complex drug regimens, and regular treatment and monitoring. The location,...
The impact of disease stage on direct medical costs of HIV management: A review of the international literature
The global prevalence of HIV infection continues to grow, as a result of increasing incidence in some countries and improved survival where highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is available. Growing...
Changes in hematologic parameters and efficacy of thymidine analogue-based, highly active antiretroviral therapy: A meta-analysis of six prospective, randomized, comparative studies
Background: Hematologic changes that occur with HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy may impact the quality of life of patients and have been associated with morbidity and mortality. The management of...
The effectiveness and cost implications of task-shifting in the delivery of antiretroviral therapy to HIV-infected patients: A systematic review
INTRODUCTION: Human resource shortages are a challenge to the rollout of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-infected patients, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Task-shifting has been recommended as an approach to reduce...
