Anti-HIV treatment and care
Drug-resistant TB
Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) is the biggest single cause of illness and death amongst people with HIV and is one of the most common AIDS-defining illnesses seen in the UK.
TB can be successfully treated with a combination of special antibiotics that need to be taken for at least six months. This treatment works well in people with HIV, but anti-TB drugs can interact with some anti-HIV drugs and it is very important that a person with HIV receives their care from a doctor who is skilled at treating both infections.
It is possible for TB to develop resistance to the drugs used to treat it. This can happen if a person isn’t given the correct drugs to treat their infection, or if they don’t take their treatment properly. Drug-resistant TB can be passed on to other people.
Resistance to anti-TB drugs is a growing problem around the world, and strains of TB that are resistant to key first-, second-, and third-choice drugs have developed. Some strains of TB, called extensively drug resistant TB (XDR-TB), are resistant to nearly anti-TB drugs and have been associated with rapid TB progression and death. Many of the cases of XDR-TB have been in people with HIV.
Researchers have conducted a study to see how common drug resistant TB is in the UK. They found that there had been very slight increases in the number of cases of TB resistant to two key first-line drugs (multi-drug resistant TB, or MDR-TB). But only one case of XDR-TB has been reported in the UK.
However, the researchers did find an increase in the number of patients with resistance to the important anti-TB drug, isoniazid with a major “outbreak” in London, which is still ongoing and connected to imprisonment, drug misuse and poor infection control.
The researchers didn’t have any information on HIV and resistance to TB drugs.
Clinical trial needs your help
Researchers at King’s College Hospital in London are asking for your help.
CHAVI 008 Study
This is a study of the antibody immune responses in people infected with different HIV strains/subtypes.
We are seeking about 225 people infected with different HIV subtypes who have not taken antiretroviral drugs in the last three months. We are particularly interested in enrolling people from sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. Of course, all people are welcome and confidentiality is absolute.
Please call Trevor Wesson at 020 3299 4187 or Sara Okumu at 020 3299 3479 to hear more or to book a morning appointment. Alternatively, feel free to come to reception between 0900h and 1130h (Monday to Friday) on the first floor of the Caldecot Centre (15-22 Caldecot Road, King’s College Hospital) and ask to speak to Trevor or Sally in the Research Office.
The whole study visit takes about 45 minutes and we pay you cash for your time and travel. For a quick response, email us at info-chavi@kch.nhs.uk referring to the CHAVI 008 study.
You can also look at our website at www.kch.nhs.uk/chavi to see about an interesting study for HIV-discordant couples.