Dr Anton Pozniak Physical disfigurement and the early onset of conditions usually associated with ageing are amongst a string of emerging HIV-related medical issues listed by a visting UK HIV expert. Dr Anton Pozniak has cared for people with HIV for almost 30 years and is a Consultant Physician/Senior Lecturer overseeing hundreds of HIV patients at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. Aproximately 25,000 people are believed to be knowingly living with HIV in the UK and across this population Pozniak says worrying trends relating to long-term HIV infection and medical treatments are emerging. In a discussion session hosted by Body Positive in Auckland late last week, Pozniak listed AIDS dementia, bone density loss, buttock wasting, cardio-vascular problems and migration of body fat to areas such as the belly and lower neck. Pozniak cited a recent patient who was experiencing extreme pain in his feet and was believed to have a nerve damage condition called Peripheral Neuropahy. It was eventually discovered that, due to HIV, the man's feet have lost so much of the natural fat layer under the skin that his nerves are lacking the protection fat gives. He says while there is not much hard data available on these conditions, anecdotal evidence is mounting that the conditions can lead to people with HIV even looking ten to fifteen years older that they are. However, he is not yet entirely sure if the apparent ageing is accompanied by actual medical ageing of the body. Body Positive agrees the effects of premature ageing in particular are an increasing concern for people with HIV. "The highly toxic medications that we have to take are certainly keeping us alive," says spokesperson Bruce Kilmister, "but the long-term effects are a great worry to us." Around 1800 people are understood to be living with HIV in New Zealand, the bulk of that number being gay and bi men.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 1st May 2011 - 12:47pm