According to new findings presented at the eighth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Vancouver, Canada, some HIV-infected people may not suffer from AIDS for many years.
This research comes in the light of finding new methods to treat this infection which takes your entire immune system on a ride. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in the US found that even in the absence of HIV therapy, some infected people progress slowly towards AIDS due to enhanced cholesterol metabolism in certain immune cells, which is an inherited trait
Lead author Giovanna Rappocciolo, assistant professor at University of Pittsburgh in the US, adds, “We have known for two decades that some people do not have the dramatic loss in their T cells and progression to AIDS that you would expect without drug therapy.” T-cells are a type of white blood cells that play a very important role in human immunity by scanning for cellular infections.
The Study
People in who this infection progresses slowly are known as “nonprogressors.” This discovery was made possible by using 30 years of data and biologic specimens. Rappocciolo and her colleagues searched for patterns in gene expression, or the degree to which specific genes are turned on or off. These insights can contribute to develop new approaches to manage HIV infections better.
Read More:
Science Says: HIV Has A Sweet Tooth
9 Types Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) That You Ought To Know Of
Science Says: Vitamin D May Boost Immunity Against HIV
