There has been extreme difficulty treating patients positive for both visceral leishmaniasis and HIV. Both diseases affect the immune system of the patients and are fatal if left untreated. As if tackling a single disease isn't enough, now patients would have to deal with 2! The risk of death for patients with visceral leishmaniasis co-infected with HIV is 9x higher. Visceral leishmaniasis also causes the progression of HIV to speed up, and relapses of the disease is more common in patients co-infected with HIV. Chances of curing visceral leishmaniasis are also significantly lower. A study in India treated patients with confirmed visceral leishmaniasis-HIV co-infections with a combination of drugs, amphotericin B and miltefosine, and encouraged to start on antiretrovial therapy.
102 patients were followed-up for an average of 11 months, and from the results of the study, combination therapy appeared to be a safe and effective way for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in HIV co-infected individuals.
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August 2015
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