The Guide to Living with HIV Infection

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 treatment. 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 threes classes of drugs virtually stops HIV, drastically reducing the virus's numbers and ability to become resistant, while allowing immune cells to rebound. 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 treatment 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.