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Top 5 Most-Read HIV Articles of 2024
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- Internalized HIV stigma during COVID-19 was linked to depressive symptoms, with participants feeling shame and self-degradation.
- HIV patients had higher pneumonia and readmission rates post-cardiac surgery, though antiretroviral therapy reduced readmission.
Top articles about HIV this year included effects of HIV on tooth loss and cardiac surgery, caregiver experiences, and a federal ruling on military enlistment.
The top articles of the year published on AJMC.com about HIV covered a variety of topics, including internalized HIV stigma, potential tooth loss for patients with HIV, and a federal judge’s decision on whether individuals with HIV could enlist in the military.
These are the top 5 articles about HIV of 2024:
5. Internalized HIV Stigma, Depressive Symptoms Linked in People Living With HIV
Researchers found that internalized HIV stigma and depressive symptoms were linked during the COVID-19 pandemic in people living with HIV. Most participants were ashamed of having HIV or experienced self-degradation due to having HIV. The most common symptom of depressive symptoms was the participants’ mind wandering during tasks. A strong connection was found between the participants’ self-perceived badness and their shame for having HIV as well as between guilt and disgust associated with HIV.
4. Patients With HIV at Increased Risk of Pneumonia, Readmission After Cardiac Surgery
Patients with HIV who required cardiac surgery had a higher risk of pneumonia and readmission, according to a study. A total of 2.67% of patients living with HIV had pneumonia after cardiac surgery compared with 1.54% of those not living with HIV. A similar difference was found in 30-day readmission, as 15.69% of those living with HIV were readmitted compared with 12.05% of those not living with HIV. Highly active antiretroviral therapy also helped to reduce the rate of readmission.
The top 5 most read HIV articles of 2024 covered a variety of topics related to the condition | Image credit: RAJCREATIONZS - stock.adobe.com
3. Women Living With HIV Could Have Tooth Loss After Menopause
The deterioration of the alveolar trabecular bone microarchitecture could lead to women with HIV having greater tooth loss after menopause. Women with HIV had fewer mean teeth after menopause compared with those not living with HIV (17.75 vs 22.79). Women living with HIV also had higher alveolar crestal height and mean trabecular thickness compared with those not living with HIV. Women with HIV also had higher levels of gingival crevicular fluid.
2. Caregivers of Patients With HIV Have Both Positive, Negative Experiences
Caregivers of patients with HIV reported that there were several pros and cons of taking care of their family member or patient with HIV. The caregivers, who were primarily women, spoke about psychological distress, anxiety, and depression when a loved one received a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS. Caregivers also cited concerns about getting infected, facing discrimination, and worrying about the progression of the disease in the patient they were looking after. However, some caregivers felt that they had more intimacy with the patient after caring for them and they also had optimism or hope for the patient.
1. Patients With HIV Can Enlist in the Military, Federal Judge Rules
Asymptomatic patients with HIV were granted the ability to enlist in the military as long as they were being treated for the disease. The decision made by Leonie Brinkema, a US District Court judge in Virginia, toppled the last policy that prohibited individuals living with HIV from enlisting in the military. Brinkema ruled in June 2022 that patients with HIV could not be prevented from being deployed into active service, arguing that the policies that prohibited individuals living with HIV from participating in the military were “irrational, arbitrary, and capricious.”
Lockdowns Led to Altered Regulation of Inflammatory Responses in People Living With HIV
