People who have multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis and AIDS are more likely to survive if they get treated for both diseases at the same time, according to a new study.
The study, which was published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, overturned an old fear that weak TB patients would be killed by the inflammation and fluids released into their lungs when antiretroviral drugs start affecting their immune systems.
However, “immune reconstitution” can usually be managed with anti-inflammatory drugs and far fewer patients in the study died when they received treatments simultaneously, according to Dr Gerald Friedland, a TB specialist at the Yale School of Public Health.
To find out more, go to the NY Times website
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