Anemia Associated with Zidovudine

Anemia Associated with Zidovudine General - Information

Anemia Associated with Zidovudine - Symptoms

More than 85% of the patients with an advanced form of HIV disease are anemic. The disorder may result if the patient with HIV positive has micronutrient deficiencies (like iron, folate or vitamin B12), indirect or direct suppressed production of red blood cells, major blood loss (observed in the gastrointestinal tract) or unresponsiveness to EPO or an EPO that is deficient. Anemia is characterized by a low level of hematocrit or hemoglobin, a substance contained by the red blood cells that has a major role in transporting the oxygen to different parts of the organism. This is why, people with Anemia Associated with Zidovudine usually get shortness of breath with activity, and feel tired or weak and may have difficulties in doing their usual daily activities. In the case of a mild disorder, the patient may not present symptoms or may complain only of mild problems. Having this disorder, the life expectancy is usually shorter in people who are anemic and have HIV or AIDS than those who are not anemic at all. Studies of this kind reveal the importance of treating Anemia Associated with Zidovudine but do not assure you that once the disorder is gone, you will have a longer life. Some patients have a serious damaged bone marrow so that they develop bone marrow suppression, along with serious hepatomegaly, myositis, lactic acidosis or myopathy. Not treated right, the anemia can provoke multisystemic disabling symptoms. Also, in some cases, the quality of life gets poorer and the risk of HIV and dementia increases.

Anemia Associated with Zidovudine - Treatment

Anemia Associated with Zidovudine is a very frequent complication in patients HIV positive. But now this disorder tends to be less common thanks to the advent of an antiretroviral therapy with very good effects. If you are HIV positive and you are on medication with Zidovudine and you present the symptoms listed above, you should call immediately your health care provider. Before proceeding with any treatment, you will undergo a complex evaluation that will identify the exact cause of anemia and other factors that may interfere in the therapy. This is how the specialists assure a maximize response to therapies. He can detect if you have developed Anemia Associated with Zidovudine and if you did, he or she will proceed as soon as possible with an adequate treatment in order to cure the anemia and improve the quality of your live. You should inform your health care provider about the medical history and with the help of a couple of physical exams he or she can reduce the number of other types of tests. A physician must learn about the previous drugs and medications you took before because the effects of other several HIV combinations of drugs may be unclear and other exams must be done. For example, some very useful procedures are the studies of stool for occult blood, a reticulocyte count and examinations of the peripheral blood smear. Endogenous EPO is sometimes measured because is considered helpful by some specialists. In many cases, having this disorder and not treating it correspondingly can increase the risk that HIV infection progress more rapidly and surely to AIDS. Although the anemia is not acute, this aspect and the functional status of the person are not things that can be completely left apart and ignored. Especially the causes that caused the anemia should be first sought and resolved.

Usually, the treatment of Anemia Associated with Zidovudine depends of the stages of the disease. You should have in mind that these adverse effects are a possibility that can occur and must be very careful in order to identifying and treating them. Studies proved that an effective therapy against Anemia Associated with Zidovudine is the one with hematopoietic growth factors that bring the hemoglobin levels to normal values in persons HIV positive with a level of erythropoietin that is less than 400 IU. This is applied when there are no specific reversible causes. Human recombinant erythropoietin therapy decreases also the necessity of transfusions with red cells of the blood proving to be significantly effective in infections of this kind. Recent studies searched to see that the use of HAART can directly cure the disorder. A connection between using HAART and the levels of hemoglobin that have increased has been observed. After 5-6 months of treatment, the hemoglobin is back to its normal levels and Anemia Associated with Zidovudine is easily improved. The question that comes in mind is if Zidovudine should be used as part of the HAART regimen when dealing with anemia. During the treatment, the patient will be continually monitored to check each response to the medication.