Magic Johnson: At-Home HIV Test Is “A Game-Changer”

According to Earvin “Magic” Johnson, his decision to endorse OraQuick, the first FDA-approved home HIV test, comes from what he knows personally about the factors endangering at-risk African American and Hispanic communities.

“OraQuick is a game changer for us…especially when you think about the stigmas in the black and brown community,” Johnson said recently. 

“The black and brown community…these are the people who I was thinking about most when I thought about this kit,” Johnson said. “We don’t want to go to the clinic. We don’t want anybody to see us at the doctor. We don’t want people to know if we’re HIV-positive or not.”

OraQuick delivers results in about 20 minutes in the privacy of a person’s home. Chain drugstores, including Duane Reade and CVS, carry the test for around $40.

“Now we’re saying, ‘You can have this test and you can do it in your own home, privately,’” Johnson said. “‘If you want people to be there or not, that’s up to you. You just need to know your status.’ It makes a difference, because I think more people will be willing to get tested. They’ll know their results, and if they are HIV-positive, there’s great information available that can get them to a doctor, including a 1-800 hotline. If they have questions, someone will be able to answer them.”

Magic Johnson: His Personal Mission

“When I announced 21 years ago, AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser told me on her dying bed that I had to become the face of this disease,” Johnson said at a presentation for Orasure Technologies. He added that endorsing OraQuick is just one of the ways he’s making good on his promise to Glaser, who contracted HIV from a blood transfusion she received while giving birth in 1981.

“She felt like the disease needed a face to raise awareness levels, and she wanted me to get out and educate people,” Johnson told the crowd. “I promised her that I’d go out and do it.”

Blacks & HIV

Despite making up just 13 percent of the population, African Americans bear the brunt of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S., accounting for nearly half of the estimated 1.2 million people living with the disease, nearly half of new HIV cases, and half of annual AIDS-related deaths, according to Phil Wilson, president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute.

Organizations like the CDC have called for routine HIV screening as a way to reduce the stigma some associate with showing up at an HIV clinic, a proposal that was also made by members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force earlier this year. If agreed upon, the recommendations will make HIV testing as standard a practice as checking cholesterol levels, fundamentally changing how the virus is detected and treated, according to experts.

Hispanics & HIV

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Hispanics who learn they are HIV positive progress to AIDS faster than any other racial or ethnic group. Forty-two percent of Hispanics diagnosed as HIV positive progress to AIDS within 12 months, compared to 34 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 35 percent of African-Americans.

In addition, the rate of new HIV infections among Hispanic women is more than four times that of white women and the rate of new HIV infections among Hispanic men is almost three times that of white men.

OraQuick Facts

OraQuick, which received approval by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year, produces results in 20 minutes and retails at pharmacies, such as CVS and Walgreens, and online for approximately $40. The test, which has been used by health care providers for just over a decade, uses a mouth swab to detect antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 in oral fluid. While it has been put through a battery of tests itself, the FDA cautioned that the test is not 100 percent accurate in identifying people with the virus.

In a trial conducted by test maker Orasure, OraQuick detected HIV in those carrying the virus only 92 percent of the time, but was 99.9 percent accurate in ruling out HIV in patients who are not carrying the disease.

That means the test could miss 1 in 12 HIV-infected people who use it, according to the FDA, but would incorrectly identify only one patient as having HIV for every 5,000 HIV-negative people tested.

An inaccurate reading can result if a person takes the test too close to their moment of incidence rather than after three to six months, the approximate time HIV takes to appear in the human body, experts say.

Study: HPV Vaccine Does Not Lead To Increased Sex In Teen Girls

Adolescent girls who get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are no more likely to show signs they may be engaging in sexual activity than girls who do not get the vaccine, according to a new study that challenges a widely held belief.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus, and some strains of the virus can lead to oral and genital cancers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend the HPV vaccine for girls and boys as young as age 11.

Previous surveys have found that some parents are concerned their daughter may be more likely to engage in sexual activity if they receive the vaccine.

“Some parents are concerned that saying ‘yes’ to the HPV vaccine is also encouraging teenagers to say ‘yes’ to sex,” said Dr. Carol Ford, chief of the Craig Dalsimer division of adolescent medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The new findings, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are the first clinical data to study the concern, and found that HPV vaccine does not lead to increased sexual activity among adolescent girls.

Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta followed electronic data of nearly 1,400 girls aged 11 and 12 between July 2006 and December 2010 to see whether they received at least one dose of the vaccine within the first year and whether they were later counseled about contraception, acquired a sexually transmitted disease or became pregnant.

More than a quarter of girls ages 15 to 17 report being sexually active, according to the CDC.

The nearly 500 girls who received at least one dose of the vaccine were no more likely to be diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease, discuss contraception or become pregnant than the nearly 900 girls who did not get the vaccine, the study found. 

“We couldn’t directly look at sexual activity, so we looked at external outcomes that would suggest sexual activity,” said Dr. Robert Bednarczyk, clinical investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research Southeast, and lead author of the study.

The study is based on the assumption that girls who engage in sexual activity would seek care for a sexually transmitted disease, ask for contraception or become pregnant.

According to some experts, the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine are more concerning to many parents than whether their child will see it as a gateway to sexual activity. Still, the findings are reassuring to a smaller group of parents who may see this it as a reason to be apprehensive.

“Those of us who work with adolescents are happy to use this information in discussing the vaccine with parents,” said Dr. Eve Shapiro, a pediatrician in Tucson, Ariz.

In previous surveys, adolescent girls reported that they would not be more likely engage in sexual activity if they got the vaccine.

“We did a clinical validation of the self reported data,” said Bednarczyk. “This is reassuring to physicians and the parents that the concern doesn’t need to be there.”

The HPV vaccine does not protect against all strains of the virus or other types of sexual transmitted infections.

Still, adolescent girls should be counseled about the risks of having sex, regardless of whether they have received the vaccine, according to Dr. Linda Reid Chassiakos, director of the Klotz Student Health Center at California State University in Northridge.

“While the HPV vaccine is valuable, the provider needs to be explicit about its specific scope, and should discuss, at the age appropriate time, the risks of unprotected sexual activity,” she said.

Condom Facts No One Tells You

Condoms are one type of birth control that not only prevents pregnancy, but also can help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). But, there are many facts about condoms that can cause confusion, potentially limiting their effectiveness.

What types of condoms are there? 

There are two types of condoms, the male condom and the female condom.

Most condoms are made of a type of rubber called “latex.” Latex condoms are the most effective condom at preventing STDs. Recently, condoms made of polyurethane (a type of plastic) have become available. These are more expensive than latex condoms and seem to break more easily. They are mainly useful for people who are allergic to latex. There are also “natural” condoms, which are made of animal membranes (lambskin). These are expensive and although they are effective at preventing pregnancy, they do not decrease the spread of many sexually transmitted diseases.

The female condom is a lubricated polyurethane (plastic) tube that has a flexible ring at each end. One end of the tube is closed.

What are the most important things to consider when about when buying condoms?

Both male and female condoms can be purchased at most drug stores, in addition to being available at clinics, as well as other locations. When choosing a condom, here are some things to should keep in mind:

• Size. The standard size will fit most men. Extra-large condoms are available, as well as “snug” sizes that are a little smaller and fit tighter than the standard size.
• Shape. Some condoms come with a nipple in the end to hold the fluid when the man ejaculates. Others have a rounded end.
• Thickness. Extra-strength condoms are available. These are stronger and are especially useful for rectal sex and for men who have problems with condom breakage. Extra thin condoms also are available, but these are not recommended because they may break more easily.
• Lubrication. Many condoms come pre-lubricated. This lubrication can be a substance that kills sperm (spermicide) and many disease-causing germs. Lubrication may give some extra protection in preventing pregnancy, especially if the condom breaks. Lubricated condoms taste bad and are not recommended for oral sex.

What condom habits to I need to keep in mind?

Condoms should be used any time a man’s penis is inserted into the body of another person, particularly if there is even the slightest risk that either person has an STD. Men frequently become infected with STDs when receiving oral sex, so ideally, a condom should be worn then, too.

The condom should be put on before there is any contact, and should be removed and thrown away promptly after the man has ejaculated.

Other facts to keep in mind include:

• Be careful when opening the wrapper to avoid tearing the condom with your teeth, fingernails, or rings.
• Gently pinch the air out of the tip of the condom before putting it on.
• The condom is rolled over the erect penis before sexual activity begins, and must be in place before the penis gets near the vagina.
• If the condom does not have a built-in nipple, leave about 1/2-inch of the condom free at the tip of the penis so that semen has a place to collect.
• A new condom must be used each time you have sex.
• If you use lubricants with a condom, be sure to only use water-based lubricants, such as K-Y Jelly. Oil-based lubricants, such as Vaseline, massage oils, and body lotions can cause condoms to leak or break.
• Certain vaginal medications used to treat yeast infections can also weaken condoms.

How do you use female condoms?

Before sexual activity begins, the woman inserts the condom into her vagina so that the closed end of the tube covers the cervix, and the other end slightly covers the labia (lips on the outside of the vagina). The condom blocks sperm from entering the womb. Female condoms should be discarded after one use. 

What about spermicidal lubricants?

Initially it was felt that condoms lubricated with spermicidal agents offered more protection against STDs. Newer studies show that frequent use of condoms containing spermicides offers no additional protection and it may actually increase the risk of HIV and other STDs by irritating the vagina and penis. Spermicidal products do however remain useful in pregnancy prevention.

How can I prevent the condom from breaking?

A condom can easily break when:

• It’s too old. Modern condom wrappers have a date after which the condom should not be used.
• It hasn’t been stored properly. Heat damages latex condoms, so they should not be kept in a hot place, such as a car glove compartment or wallet.
• There’s not enough lubrication during sex. Additional lubrication is always needed for rectal sex. It may also be needed for vaginal sex. The lubricant should be water-soluble, such as KY jelly.
• The wrong type of lubricant is being used. Lubricants that contain oil — such as Vaseline, baby oils, and vegetable oils — should not be used with latex condoms since they weaken the material.
• It’s too small. If necessary, buy a larger-sized condom.
• Your partner is too tight. In this situation, use an extra strength condom and more lubricant.

How can I prevent the condom from slipping off during sex?

A condom may come off during sex because:

• It’s too large. Try a snug condom.
• Loss of erection. Remove your penis, holding on to the rolled edge of the condom, as soon as you begin to lose your erection.

How effective are condoms at preventing pregnancies?

Male condoms are about 85% effective for birth control. When used together and properly, spermicidal foam and condoms are about 97% effective in preventing pregnancy. The female condom is about 75% effective.

How much protection from STDs do condoms really offer?

Latex condoms provide protection from sexually transmitted diseases by preventing the infected area from coming into contact with the partner. Latex condoms provide the best amout of protection, although polyurethane condoms do provide some protection, although not as much.

Natural or lambskin condoms do not protect against STDs, since they have larger holes or “pores” that allow the small particles that can cause some STDs to pass through.

Female condoms provide some protection against sexually transmitted diseases, but the male condom provides the best protection if you have sex. Female condoms should not be used in combination with male condoms. The friction of the two could result in product failure.

15 Shocking Symptoms Of HIV

Within a month or two of HIV entering the body, 40% to 90% of people experience flulike symptoms known as acute retroviral syndrome (ARS).

But sometimes HIV symptoms don’t appear for years, sometimes even a decade, after infection.

“In the early stages of HIV infection, the most common symptoms are none,” says Michael Horberg, MD, director of HIV/AIDS for Kaiser Permanente, in Oakland, Calif. One in five people in the United States with HIV doesn’t know they have it, which is why it’s so important to get tested, especially if you have unprotected sex with more than one partner or use intravenous drugs.

Here are some signs that you may be HIV-positive:

Fever

One of the first signs of ARS can be a mild fever, up to about 102 degrees F. The fever, if it occurs at all, is often accompanied by other usually mild symptoms, such as fatigue, swollen lymph glands, and a sore throat.

“At this point the virus is moving into the blood stream and starting to replicate in large numbers,” says Carlos Malvestutto, MD, instructor of infectious diseases and immunology in the department of medicine at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. “As that happens, there is an inflammatory reaction by the immune system.”

Fatigue

The inflammatory response generated by your besieged immune system also can cause you to feel tired and lethargic. Fatigue can be both an early and later sign of HIV.

Ron, 54, a public relations executive in the Midwest, started to worry about his health when he suddenly got winded just walking. “Everything I did, I got out of breath,” he says. “Before that I had been walking three miles a day.”

Ron had tested HIV positive 25 years before feeling so tired; fatigue during acute, or newly contracted, HIV might not be so obvious.

Achy Muscles & Joint Pain

ARS is often mistaken for the flu, mononucleosis, or another viral infection, even syphilis or hepatitis.

That’s not surprising: Many of the symptoms are the same, including pain in the joints and muscles and swollen lymph glands.

Lymph nodes are part of your body’s immune system and tend to get inflamed when there’s an infection. Many of them are located in your armpit, groin, and neck.

Sore Throat & Headache

As with other symptoms, sore throat and headache can often be recognized as ARS only in context, Dr. Horberg says.

If you’ve engaged recently in high-risk behavior, an HIV test is a good idea. Get tested for your own sake and for others: HIV is most infectious in the earliest stage.

Keep in mind that the body hasn’t produced antibodies to HIV yet so an antibody test may not pick it up. (It can take a few weeks to a few monthsfor HIV antibodies to show in a blood test). Investigate other test options such as one that detects viral RNA, typically within nine days of infection.

Skin Rashes

Skin rashes can occur early or late in the course of HIV/AIDS.

For Ron, this was another sign that he might not have run-of-the-mill allergies or a cold.

”They were like boils, with some itchy pink areas on my arms,” Ron says. The rashes can also appear on the trunk of the body. “If [the rashes] aren’t easily explained or easily treated, you should think about having an HIV test,” Dr. Horberg says.

Nausea, Vomiting & Diarrhea

Anywhere from 30% to 60% of people have short-term nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea in the early stages of HIV, Dr. Malvestutto says.

These symptoms can also appear as a result of antiretroviral therapy and later in the infection, usually as the result of an opportunistic infection.

”Diarrhea that is unremitting and not responding at all to usual therapy might be an indication,” Dr. Horberg says. Or symptoms may be caused by an organism not usually seen in people with healthy immune systems, he adds.

Weight Loss

Once called “AIDS wasting,” weight loss is a sign of more advanced illness and could be due in part to severe diarrhea.

”If you’re already losing weight, that means the immune system is usually fairly depleted,” Dr. Malvestutto says. “This is the patient who has lost a lot of weight even if they continue to eat as much as possible. This is late presentation. We still see a lot of these.” It has become less common, however, thanks to antiretroviral therapy.

A person is considered to have wasting syndrome if they lose 10% or more of their body weight and have had diarrhea or weakness and fever for more than 30 days, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dry Cough

Have a bad cough that Benadryl, antibiotics, and inhalers don’t seem to fix? 

This symptom—an “insidious cough that could be going on for weeks that doesn’t seem to resolve,” Dr. Malvestutto says—is typical in very ill HIV patients.

Night Sweats

About half of people get night sweats during the early stages of HIV infection, Dr. Malvestutto says.

These can be even more common later in infection and aren’t related to exercise or the temperature of the room.

 Similar to the hot flashes that menopausal women suffer, they’re also hard to dismiss, given that they soak your bedclothes and sheets.

Nail Changes

Another sign of late HIV infection are nail changes, such as clubbing (thickening and curving of the nails), splitting of the nails, or discoloration (black or brown lines going either vertically or horizontally).

Often this is due to a fungal infection, such as candida. “Patients with depleted immune systems will be more susceptible to fungal infections,” Dr. Malvestutto says.

Yeast Infections

Another fungal infection that’s common in later stages is thrush, a mouth infection caused by Candida, a type of yeast.

”It’s a very common fungus and the one that causes yeast infections in women,” Dr. Malvestutto says. “They tend to appear in the mouth or esophagus, making it difficult to swallow.”

Ron woke up one day to find white patches on his tongue. He had thrush. For him, “It was not bothersome other than I didn’t like having it.” The infection was hard to get rid of, but finally cleared up after Ron started taking drugs to combat HIV.

Confusion or Difficulty Concentrating

Cognitive problems could be a sign of HIV-related dementia, which usually occurs late in the course of the disease.

In addition to confusion and difficulty concentrating, AIDS-related dementia might also involve memory problems and behavioral issues such as anger or irritability.

It may even include motor changes: becoming clumsy, lack of coordination, and problems with tasks requiring fine motor skills such as writing by hand.

Cold Sores or Genital Herpes

Cold sores (oral herpes) and genital herpes can be a sign of both ARS and late-stage HIV infection.

 Having herpes can also be a risk factor for contracting HIV. This is because genital herpes can cause ulcers that make it easier for HIV to enter the body during sex. And people who have HIV tend to have more severe herpes outbreaks more often because HIV weakens the immune system.

Tingling & Weakness

Late HIV can also cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. This is called peripheral neuropathy, which also occurs in people with uncontrolled diabetes.

”This is when the nerves are actually damaged,” Dr. Malvestutto says. These symptoms can be treated with over-the-counter pain relievers and antiseizure medicines such as Neurontin (gabapentin).

Menstrual Irregularities

Advanced HIV disease appears to increase the risk of having menstrual irregularities, such as fewer and lighter periods.

These changes, however, probably have more to do with the weight loss and poor health of women with late-stage infection rather than the infection itself.

Infection with HIV also has been associated with earlier age of menopause (47 to 48 years for infected women compared to 49 to 51 years for uninfected women).

Myths About Your Weight Loss Goals

As you adjust your diet and try to work out a little more, there’s one little fact that you may not be thinking about: what you think you should you weigh may be a far harsher number than what you need to weight.

Many weight loss experts agree that people subject themselves to weight myths that end up derailing their overall goals. 

Myth: My ideal weight was my college weight.

If you’re hoping to get back to what you weighed a few years ago, fine. But if you’re looking at 10 or more years down memory lane, stop. Many people put on weight as they get older, and a slower metabolism makes it all the harder to slim down as easily or as quickly as you did in the past. Don’t live in the past! Set a goal that works for the way you live now.

Myth: My ideal weight can be found on a standard height and weight chart.

Many factors play a role in determining your weight, such as your body type, the number of fat cells you have, how muscular you are, et cetera. The numbers on a standard body mass index (BMI) chart are just approximations, and may not be the best gauge of good health. Studies show they may undercount some women as overweight by not measuring body fat and overcount others who have a higher ratio of muscle to fat.

Myth: My ideal weight loss goal is the max number of pounds I’ve ever lost before.

If you set a weight-loss goal that’s too low to maintain, you’ll get caught in an unhealthy vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting. Such repeated weight loss and regaining can alter your body composition, lowering the amount of muscle mass you have. This, in turn, can slow your metabolism and lower your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. So what’s your best weight goal? The one you can actually live with.

Myth: The less I weigh, the healthier I’ll be.

This simply is not true. In fact, many studies show that if you’re overweight, losing just 5 to 10 percent of your current weight is all you have to do to reap the bulk of the health benefits associated with weight loss: lower risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even some forms of cancer.