Routine HIV testing urged to save lives, money
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Encouraging patients to agree to routine HIV testing -- even when they appear to be at low risk -- would not only prolong lives but save health-care dollars, a joint Canadian-U.S. study suggests."We know that if we screen people routinely as they come in contact with the health-care system that we will identify some people who have not previously been identified as being HIV-positive," said Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi, an internal medicine specialist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and a study co-author.
Picking up early HIV infection in patients who visit doctors' offices, clinics or hospital emergency wards would allow them to start sooner on antiviral drugs known to prolong life, said Dr. Bayoumi, while preventing them from unwittingly spreading the virus.
The study, published in today's New England Journal of Medicine, found that routine voluntary screening to pick up infections earlier represents good value for money -- despite the fact patients are taking high-priced drugs longer.
Using a cost-effectiveness formula, researchers determined that routine HIV screening compares favourably to such tests as mammography or colonoscopy, "which are currently recommended by many treatment guidelines," Dr. Bayoumi said.
In Canada, testing for the virus that causes AIDS is performed only with a patient's consent. Generally, people seek a test when they have symptoms or are at high risk for the disease and want to know, Dr. Bayoumi said. All pregnant women are also offered screening.
About 56,000 Canadians have HIV-AIDS; about 4,000 are infected each year. In the United States, 950,000 have the disease, and about 40,000 contract the virus annually. Studies have shown that prevalence of the disease in North America is higher than official figures suggest.
Canadian Press
Picking up early HIV infection in patients who visit doctors' offices, clinics or hospital emergency wards would allow them to start sooner on antiviral drugs known to prolong life, said Dr. Bayoumi, while preventing them from unwittingly spreading the virus.
The study, published in today's New England Journal of Medicine, found that routine voluntary screening to pick up infections earlier represents good value for money -- despite the fact patients are taking high-priced drugs longer.
Using a cost-effectiveness formula, researchers determined that routine HIV screening compares favourably to such tests as mammography or colonoscopy, "which are currently recommended by many treatment guidelines," Dr. Bayoumi said.
In Canada, testing for the virus that causes AIDS is performed only with a patient's consent. Generally, people seek a test when they have symptoms or are at high risk for the disease and want to know, Dr. Bayoumi said. All pregnant women are also offered screening.
About 56,000 Canadians have HIV-AIDS; about 4,000 are infected each year. In the United States, 950,000 have the disease, and about 40,000 contract the virus annually. Studies have shown that prevalence of the disease in North America is higher than official figures suggest.
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