Summary: Dr. Shelley Gordon discusses changes in HIV since it was first identified in the late 1970s. People are living much longer lives, often free of any symptoms. But some medical problems are becoming more prevalent amongst people with HIV, perhaps because of persistent circulating virus in the blood or perhaps because of some effects of the medicines needed to control the virus. For example, some of the medicines alter cholesterol levels in the blood. People with HIV need to take their medicines on a daily basis. Especially when they feel so well, people with HIV need to discuss with their doctor how their medicines might be causing problems. The goal in caring for people with chronic HIV is to place the disease and the drugs controlling the disease in the background of their lives, not the foreground.
