HIV-positive seniors must deal with the side effects of treatments

In France, it is estimated that there are around 200,000 HIV-positive people, who live thanks to effective treatments against HIV, but with sometimes quite serious side effects.

40 years after the discovery of the AIDS virus, progress in the fight against the disease has made it possible to reduce the number of infected people. Screenings increased last year and there were fewer positive cases than in 2019 (between 4,200 and 5,700). On December 1, World AIDS Day, it is estimated that there are around 200,000 HIV-positive people in France. Among them, Francis Carrier, a veteran of the fight against AIDS.

The Gray Pride founder learned he was HIV positive in 1985 during the early days of the epidemic. At 69, he has been taking HIV medication for years, with serious consequences for his health. “Today, I have a lot of pathologies”he lists, “I have blood pressure problems, a triglyceride problem, diabetes, so indeed, that’s a lot to manage!”

“In addition, we have trivialized HIV by saying ‘people with HIV, they live on a few capsules’, of course not, it’s not something trivial. It’s something that changes your life, your body and the relationships we have with others.”

Francis Carrier, founder of Gray Pride

at franceinfo

“From the moment you are HIV positive, you are marginalized or you have to live in secrecy, and that is something heavy to bear”he adds.

Fewer side effects for new patients

Not all HIV-positive people are affected in the same way; the side effects of antiretroviral drugs mainly concern those who have been taking treatment for a long time. “The side effects can be diverse and varied: diabetes, sometimes weight gain, kidney failure, but the proportion of these patients is decreasing very significantly”infectious disease specialist Yazdan Yazdanpanah, director of ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases. “And new patients, those who are starting out, have fairly simple treatments, always for life, but the side effects are less significant.”

Medicines for life, because for the moment there is no cure for HIV. So to avoid catching the virus, there is obviously the condom, but also Prep, a treatment taken preventively, and intended for all people who have risky sexuality.