HIV-positive people who are heavy drinkers and who are not taking antiretroviral medications have lower CD4 counts than moderate or non-drinking HIV-positive people not on meds, according to a new study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
This difference was not seen in positive people who are taking antiretroviral meds.
The study, which examined almost 600 HIV-positive people in Boston, suggests that those who drink heavily will reach the point where treatment is recommended sooner than someone who does not drink as much.
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
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Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
