HIV-infected men more sensitive to alcohol


New York, April 21 (IANS): Men infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS need fewer drinks to feel the effects of alcohol than uninfected men, says a new study.

"All else equal, people who have HIV infection have a lower tolerance for alcohol than similar people without HIV infection," explained Amy Justice, professor of medicine and public health at Yale University.

It is not clear, she added, whether HIV-infected individuals are simply more susceptible to alcohol or if they achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood from the same number of drinks.

To examine the effects of alcohol on HIV patients, the researchers reviewed data on more than 2,600 men enrolled in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, an ongoing multi-site study of veterans.

They analysed survey responses from both HIV-infected and uninfected veterans, who were asked how many alcoholic drinks it took for them to feel a buzz or high.

The researchers also compared responses from HIV-infected men with unsuppressed or detectable HIV infection versus those with suppressed HIV.

The study found that HIV-infected men with detectable virus were more sensitive to the effects of alcohol than both HIV-infected men with suppressed virus and uninfected men.

The findings suggest that there is clearly no safe level of alcohol consumption for people with HIV, and that providers should counsel their HIV-infected patients that they are more susceptible to the harmful effects of drinking, the researchers noted.

The study was published in the journal AIDS and Behaviour.

  

Top Stories


Leave a Comment

Title: HIV-infected men more sensitive to alcohol



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.