Second Patient Cured Of HIV
The news that there is a second patient cured of HIV appeared in the media, for the first time, in 2019. Doctors did not dare to assure that this was definitive. However now, a year later, the chances of this healing being complete are becoming more and more tangible.
The acronym for HIV refers to the human immunodeficiency virus. Although it often tends to be confused with the term AIDS, it is not the same. HIV is the virus itself, while AIDS is the final stage of this infection – it stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
HIV is a virus that attacks certain cells of the immune system and destroys them. These cells are CD4 T lymphocytes. They are essential cells for our body, since they are responsible for stimulating and coordinating many of the cells of the immune system.
There are many people with HIV in the world. In fact, it is estimated that there are around 39 million infected. Therefore, in this article we will talk about the second patient cured of HIV and how his treatment has been.
History of the second patient cured of HIV
The second patient cured of HIV is called ‘” London patient “. The first case, which was called ” Berlin patient “, was declared cured around 2008. This idea of cure has always been expressed with caution.
This is so because HIV is a virus that remains in our body on a chronic basis. It destroys CD4 T lymphocytes, making our immune system weaker so that we cannot respond to infections.
The course of HIV is complex. If left untreated, it can lead to AIDS, which is the stage where complete immunodeficiency already exists. Until recently it was thought that a cure for this infection was impossible.
Antiretroviral treatments are based on keeping the infection under control. In this way, the risk of virus transmission and the number of copies that exist in the body are reduced. Thus, people with HIV may have a longer life expectancy.