Reuters Article Reports HIV Patients Can Build “Normal” Immune Strength
Lancet study reports that HIV treatment can “normalize” CD4 counts
A recent study in the “The Lancet” medical journal found that some HIV+ people who receive antiretroviral therapy can achieve normal CD4 T-cell counts. Although this is an encouraging result, I have some concerns about the way it was reported in the popular press, particularly by the Reuters news service.
Before I critique the Reuters article, let me give you a brief summary of the study’s main findings:
1) When HIV+ persons go on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and maintain undetectable HIV levels for long periods of time, their CD4 T cell counts often rise significantly - sometimes to the normal range.
2) The increase in CD4 cells can occur even in persons who start treatment with low CD4 counts.
3) However, to protect the immune system and get the maximum CD4 boost, it’s best to start treatment before counts fall to low levels.
Each of these three main findings has already been reported in many other studies in the years since effective ART became available over a decade ago. Although it was fine for Reuters to report on this study, the writer should have noted that it merely confirmed the current thinking about HIV. There was nothing particularly surprising or groundbreaking about the results.
It’s also important to emphasize that, if a person with an AIDS diagnosis achieves a high CD4 count on treatment, they must stay on treatment to maintain that high count. The Reuters article lacked this important information.
My second beef with the Reuter’s article concerns its headline: “HIV patients build normal immune strength in study.” This headline makes a claim that goes far beyond the scope of the Lancet study, and is frankly misleading. Previous research has shown that, if people stop taking their HIV meds, their CD4 counts generally drop quickly toward their lowest-ever level. For people with an AIDS diagnosis, this means that, off treatment, their CD4 count may rapidly fall to point where they are at risk for serious illness.
This fact indicates that, even when a person’s CD4 count returns to a normal level, there is residual damage to the immune system that isn’t adequately reflected in their CD4 count. So there’s NOT sufficient justification for the Reuters headline that HIV patients can “build normal immune strength” through long-term antiretroviral treatment.
At present, starting effective ART before HIV infection has progressed to AIDS is the best way to protect a person’s immune system. Ongoing research into therapies that actively boost immune function - likely used in combination with ART - may someday lead to a more complete immune recovery in people living with HIV.
