“Among HIV patients, young people feel the full burden of the disease in particular, but they are also the most dissatisfied with the current therapeutic regimen. We need to think about new treatment strategies, including the so-called long-term therapies, which do not involve taking the daily pill. Treatment must be simpler and easier to take, but it is not the only aspect that weighs on the patient. People who live badly due to HIV infection and therapy are the same people who need more contact with their infectious doctor, as emerged from the survey conducted by the Icon Foundation and which involved 600 patients. A need that is sometimes unsatisfied. Instead, dialogue with the referring clinician is a fundamental aspect because it helps the patient to improve his quality of life and his overall health status. “He says this Antonella Cingolani, infectious disease doctor of the ‘A. Gemelli ‘Irccs, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Rome.
And speaking of the investigation promoted by Foundation Icon, with the support of patient associations and the support of ViiV HC, to understand the expectations and concerns about the therapy of people with HIV in Italy, and whose results were presented at the Icar2021 Congress underway in Riccione, Cingolani he has no doubts: “These are data of great interest for our everyday work. However, it is striking that, despite the vast majority of anti-HIV therapies available today, they are contained in a single tablet, almost 20% of subjects reports an “excessive” burden of treatment and illness. dissatisfaction with treatment and poor dialogue with the infectious doctor significantly undermine the well-being of patientsthe. These aspects, and obviously there is also work to be done on this in terms of communication and attention, are more relevant in younger people “.
The study shows that the age of the patients plays a fundamental role in the perception of the disease. “People who grew up with HIV, and who today have very simple therapies available, have somehow got used to living with the disease. Instead – concludes the infectious disease specialist – for young people we need to think about new treatment strategies that no longer require the daily intake of a drug “.