Author: Think
Published: 12th Feb 2016
Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A
Additional References: HIV and Aids Publications
Summary: Healthy Life with HIV Book suggests ways on how to communicate with family, friends and others about the often-misunderstood disease.
In the 35 years since the emergence of HIV, treatments of the disease - and patient lifespans - have dramatically improved.
"With medications, many HIV-positive people can now expect normal, healthy lives," said Allison Webel, an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and co-author of the new guide for patients, Living a Healthy Life with HIV.
First published in the mid 1990s - before the existence of effective and widely-available HIV treatments - the text has been overhauled for the first time in a decade to reflect a new reality: HIV is now considered a chronic condition, such as diabetes and heart disease, that can be managed (but is not yet cured).
Similar to those conditions, HIV can be kept in check - and prevented from advancing into AIDS - with proper self-care and medication.
"It's something many could only imagine when the epidemic started," Webel said. "Many of these advances have come in the last five to 10 years."
With half of HIV-positive people in the United States over 50 years old, management of the disease now addresses nearly all aspects of patient lifespans and lifestyles: how to eat well and exercise, while working with doctors to manage the disease's distressing symptoms; how to safely have sex and become pregnant (mother-to-child transmission is now preventable in most U.S. cases), as well as raise children.
A daily pill can effectively suppress the virus and is accessible and affordable to most U.S. patients with medical insurance.
Nevertheless, nearly 50,000 people are diagnosed with HIV each year nationally, and the epidemic is still strong in Africa, India and other places.
"Although the disease is almost entirely preventable, some populations and regions bear a disproportionate burden," Webel said. "We want these advances and information to reach everyone affected by HIV."
Still, HIV-positive people do not just battle the disease - they also confront myths, stigmas and prejudice, even after decades of public education. In Living a Healthy Life with HIV, authors suggest how to best communicate with family, friends and others about the often-misunderstood disease:
When disclosing HIV status:
"We've come far," Webel said, "but there's still a ways to go to reduce misinformation, while aiming for zero new infections and taking care of those who are already HIV-positive."
The book, published by Bull Publishing Co., was co-written by Kate Lorig, Diana Laurent, Virginia González, and David Sobel of Stanford University School of Medicine's Patient Education Research Center, Allen L. Gifford of Boston University, and Marian Minor of the University of Missouri.
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1Transgender Reporting Guide
How to write about transgender people.
2Am I Gay? Questions to Ask
Think you may be gay or bisexual?
3Glossary of Sexuality Terms
Definitions of sexual terms & acronyms.
4LGBTQ+ Pride Flags
Symbols of Identity and Inclusion.
5LGBT Awareness Dates
Important LGBTQ community awareness days, remembrance dates, and coming pride events.
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• (APA): Think. (2016, February 12). Updated Guide Helps HIV Patients Navigate New Territory. SexualDiversity.org. Retrieved November 9, 2024 from www.sexualdiversity.org/sexuality/health/hiv/632.php
• Permalink: <a href="https://www.sexualdiversity.org/sexuality/health/hiv/632.php">Updated Guide Helps HIV Patients Navigate New Territory</a>