His doctors say a man with HIV since the 1980s has been cured. This is only the fourth case in the world.
He underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia, and the donor was naturally resistant to the virus.
The 66-year-old, who asked not to be named, has stopped taking HIV medication. He said he was “extremely grateful” that the virus could no longer be found in his body.
The man is known as the Patient City of Hope in honor of the hospital where he was treated in Duarte, California.
Many of their friends died of HIV in the past, before antiretroviral drugs could give these people a near-normal life expectancy.
“I never thought I’d live to see this day”
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects the body’s immune system. can lead to lozenges (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) It makes it difficult for the body to defend against infections.
In a statement, the man said: “When I was diagnosed with HIV in 1988, like so many others, I thought it was a death sentence. I never thought I would live to see the day when I was no longer infected with HIV.”
He underwent a bone marrow transplant not for HIV, but because he developed leukemia at the age of 63.
The medical team responsible for his treatment decided that he needed a transplant to replace the diseased bone marrow with healthy cells. Coincidentally, the donor was HIV-resistant.
HIV enters our body’s white blood cells using a microscopic portal – a protein called CCR5.
However, some people, including the donor, have CCR5 mutations that close this door and prevent the virus from entering.
The patient was closely monitored after transplantation, and his HIV levels became undetectable in his body and remained so for more than 17 months.
“We are pleased to inform him that his HIV is in recovery and that he no longer needs to receive the antiviral treatment he has been using for more than 30 years,” said Jana Decker, an infectious disease specialist at City of Hope Hospital.
The first time a similar case occurred was in 2011.when Timothy Ray Brown – better known as the Berlin Patient – became the first person in the world to recover from HIV.
Three other similar cases have been recorded in the past three years.
The City of Hope patient is the oldest and longest-standing person with HIV to be treated in this way.
However, Bone marrow transplants will not revolutionize the treatment of the 38 million people living with HIV in the world today.
“It’s a complex procedure with significant side effects. So it’s not really an appropriate option for most people with HIV,” Decker said.
However, researchers are looking for ways to target the CCR5 protein using gene therapy.
The case was presented at the 2022 AIDS Conference in Montreal, in Canada.
Commenting on the announcement, Sharon Lewin, president of the International AIDS Society, said: “Treatment remains the holy grail of HIV research.”
She said there had been “a handful of individual treatments before” and had provided “continuing hope for people living with HIV and inspiring the scientific community”.
The text was originally published in . format https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-62324526
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