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A study at a free clinic in Houston
indicated that undocumented Latinos with HIV begin treatment with more advanced
disease than other patients. According to HIV doctors and researchers,
successful treatment is more difficult to achieve if the patient begins
treatment after the virus has advanced in the body. Late diagnosis has been
identified as a major reason for higher death rates among black Americans.
Dr. Thomas Giordano, associate
professor of medicine-infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine,
reviewed data from patients at Houston’s Thomas Street Health Center throughout
the course of five-and-one-half years. He studied 1,620 patients with HIV infection,
including 186 undocumented Latino patients, 278 documented Latino patients, 986
black patients, and 170 white patients. Findings show that undocumented Latino
patients presented at the clinic with the most advanced HIV disease compared to
the documented Latinos and black and white patients. The undocumented Latinos
began treatment with the most weakened immune systems. This means that the
undocumented Latinos were delaying care or had met with delays in getting
diagnosed.
After one year of treatment,
undocumented Latino patients had similar rates of retention in care and similar
success in reversing HIV’s advance as documented Latino and white patients.
Black patients were significantly less likely to succeed in care even more than
undocumented Latinos.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
