AIDS research needs more women, physicians say
Historically, women were excluded from clinical drug trials because the majority of AIDS patients were men, but not anymore. Women now make up more than half of the more than 36 million adults infected with human immunovirus (HIV) worldwide.
In fact, women are the fastest growing group of HIV-infected patients in the United States. The percentage of women newly diagnosed with the virus has doubled over the last 10 years. The problem is equally disturbing in European countries, where similar increases are reported. The numbers are likely to rise because the virus increasingly is transmitted through heterosexual contact, says AIDS researcher James Witek, from MCP Hahnemann University in Philadelphia.
More women are needed in research because female patients respond differently to the disease and treatment, he adds. One difference is through detection, says Carlos Arboleda, treatment director at the National Minority AIDS Council in Washington, DC. "One of the main differences is that women are diagnosed later in the disease than men because they do not perceive themselves as at risk," he notes.
The next step following diagnosis is balancing an effective treatment with minimal side effects, which is an especially tough task for physicians treating female patients, says Cathy Christeller, executive director of the Chicago Women’s AIDS Project. "If the doctor’s don’t know how to fine-tune treatment for gender, it makes it difficult," says Christeller. "We’re trying to educate women that there are really good treatments available, but we’re kind of handicapped."
Determining an appropriate treatment for women can be difficult due to women generally weighing less and having lower viral loads than men who might be just as sick, adds Christeller.
Researchers are making an effort to recruit more women into studies, says Witek. "There is a push to try and include women in clinical trials. Some of the trials now consider things like providing money for child care and other expenses."
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