It's pretty amazing to see how many people have been affected by this nasty virus. In the mid-eighties I was going to two or three funerals of friends and coworkers a week. It is a horrible way to go. In 1992, I was primary caregiver to a good friend for the last four months of his life, and watching him waste away from a competitive amateur tennis player to a living skeleton without being able to do more than make him comfortable was almost unbearable. 1995 was a milestone year in HIV therapy with the introduction of protease inhibitors, soon followed by integrase and fusion inhibitors, and now chemokine receptor (CCR5 and CXC4) antagonists. In 1995, tens of thousands of HIV infected people rose from their deathbeds, got off disability, and returned to work leading productive, normal lives. I have lived with the virus since early 1980 (that's almost thirty-nine years), and am one of those lucky ones who survived thanks to the HAART cocktail. Better living through chemistry.
Recent studies* show that there is virtually no statistical difference in cognitive deficit between HIV infected individuals on antiretroviral meds and the normal population for given age groups, which makes one wonder why the CogScreen is still required by the FAA for special issuance certification.
* Cognitive Impairment in UK HIV-Positive Men, Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Volume 67, Number 2, October 1, 2014
