HIV patients need to stop consuming alcohol: Study

We all know that consuming alcohol can affect an individual’s body and behavior. Well, it is no different for an HIV patient. A recent study at the Boston University School of Public Health (BSPH) and School of Medicine (BUSM) suggests that HIV positive people consuming alcohol can lead to weak bones, raising the risk of osteoporosis.

Regular consumption of alcohol can damage bone metabolism along with the liver. It is also being linked to aging in people as you get older; your bone health degrades in time. This finding highlights that HIV along with the intake of alcohol can make this situation much worse.

The study was conducted on 198 patients in the Boston ARCH cohort. All of these HIV positive people were either with current or past records of alcoholism. Blood samples were collected and analysed closely by the researchers to figure out biomarkers associated with bone metabolism (the on-going process of absorbing old bone tissues to create new ones) and recent alcohol consumption in the patients.

According to the results of the study, the issue of low bone density is common among people with HIV. Patients even after completing antiretroviral therapy also suffer from the same risk. The research team also mentioned the circumstance where people with HIV infection often tend to take help from alcohol to ease the pain. This in return can do worse to their health in the long run.

HIV patient’s viral load can be effectively controlled by medications while other health conditions, such as losing bone density can re-occur anytime. Clubbing that with adversities caused by alcoholism can create havoc for every person dealing with HIV. Under such a situation, it is advised to put an end to the regular consumption of alcohol.


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