Having genital herpes can increase the
risk of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and it can cause
serious problems for people living with HIV.
People who have genital herpes sores
are more likely to be infected with HIV during intercourse. When you develop a
sore, the immune system tries to heal it, so there are many immune cells
concentrated in that spot. Those are the cells that HIV infects. If HIV in
semen, vaginal fluid, or
blood comes in contact with a herpes sore, the risk for infection is high.
The Compound Effect of Genital Herpes and
HIV
HIV and the genital herpes virus are a
troublesome duo. One can worsen the effects of the other. Research shows that
when the herpes virus is active, it may cause HIV to make more copies of itself
(the process called replication) than it would otherwise.
The more HIV replicates, the more of
the body's infection-fighting cells it destroys, eventually leading to AIDS
(acquired immune deficiency syndrome).
People infected with both HIV and the
herpes virus may have longer-lasting, more frequent, and more severe outbreaks
of herpes symptoms, because a weakened immune system can't keep the herpes
virus under control as well as a healthy immune system can.
Genital Herpes and HIV Treatment Issues
It's more difficult to treat genital
herpes if you also have HIV. Higher doses of antiviral drugs are often needed
to treat herpes in people with HIV.
Also, many people with HIV have
strains of the herpes virus that are resistant to treatment with the standard
antiviral drugs.
If you take antiviral drugs for genital
herpes and the treatment isn't working, your doctor can test the virus you have
for resistance. If the virus is resistant, there are other possible treatment
alternatives, including the drugs Foscarnet and Vistide. These drugs can be
given through an IV, or a Vistide gel can be applied to the herpes sores.
If you have HIV, ask your doctor if
you should be tested for genital herpes. If you already know that you have
herpes and HIV, discuss treatment options with your doctor.a pound of cure
