Women with HIV: A Growing Challenge

Cologne, Germany, November 12 (ots/PRNewswire) -

- With Women Comprising Over Half of the Global HIV/AIDS
Population,(1) Leading Experts to Convene to Explore the Impact of
Gender on Treatment and Care

With 33 million individuals infected, HIV/AIDS has long been
classified as a global epidemic.(1) But with 17 million women between
the ages of 15 and 49 years who are living with HIV/AIDS and its
significant social impact on females, this disease has also
transformed into a crisis of gender inequality.(2) In fact, young
women now make up over 60% of 15 to 24-year-olds living with
HIV/AIDS.(2) This is not limited to just developing countries. In
2007, over 30% of new HIV-1 infected individuals in Western Europe
were women.(3)

To address the issue of gender and HIV/AIDS, leading experts from
across Europe convened today at a meeting titled "Gender Perspective
-- HIV and Women" sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb. Topics included,
among others, research on HIV treatment, the management of HIV/AIDS
during pregnancy, the effects of treatment on contraception,
psychosocial aspects of care and the impact of HIV/AIDS on families.

"The AIDS epidemic has had a unique and powerful impact on women
and in turn, there is a clear medical need to understand women as a
specific population of HIV patients. This is due to a myriad of
factors, including the role that gender plays in determining an
individual's vulnerability to HIV infection and ability to access the
best care," said Jane Anderson, PhD, MD, Director, Centre for the
Study of Sexual Health and HIV, Homerton University Hospital, UK.
"This meeting is an important step in giving a voice to this issue
and truly addressing the needs of this often silent majority."

The Unknown Risks

One of the risk factors for many women acquiring HIV is often the
undisclosed risk behaviour of their male partners.(4) Women may be
unwittingly placed at risk if their male partner participates in an
unknown sexual relationship.(4) Females also may be impacted by
cultural expectations that encourage men to have multiple
partners.(2) Beyond this, there is a culture of silence around sexual
and reproductive health.(2) Men and women are likely to increase
their risk of HIV infection simply by fulfilling their expected
gender roles.(2)

The Physical Vulnerability

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, women are
more physically susceptible to HIV infection than men.(5)
Male-to-female HIV transmission during sex is about twice as likely
to occur as female-to-male transmission.(5) Woman's sexual organs
leave her more exposed to the virus than men.(6) Younger women are at
even greater risk as their vaginas are not as well lined with
protective cells.(6) The presence of a sexually transmitted disease
(STD) escalates the risk of HIV, but 50 to 80% of STDs in women are
asymptomatic or go unnoticed.(6)

Response to the Disease

Equally of note, once women have contracted HIV, their bodies
respond to the disease differently. Women have demonstrated
differences in HIV viral load, drug pharmacokinetics and drug-related
side effects, such as severe rashes, body fat redistribution and
depressive symptoms.(7)(8) "Although existing data suggests that
women respond to the disease and its treatment differently than men,
there is a lack of information to guide decision-making about choice
of therapy and dosing," Professor Jane Anderson said. "Many
physicians struggle with the challenge of appropriately treating
their female patients."

Social Impact

The social impact of HIV/AIDS on women transcends all aspects of
life. Studies suggest that women experience HIV-related stigma and
discrimination more frequently, are at a greater risk of facing the
harshest and most damaging forms, and find it more difficult to cope
with prejudice.(9) In some instances, women are physically assaulted
and are forced to change their place of residence because of their
status.(9) Fear of stigma and its consequences also hinder access to
routine reproductive health services and information, putting women
at a greater risk of HIV infection.(9) Women's access to HIV
prevention and treatment services is also limited.(9) Thus, tackling
barriers such as stigma and discrimination that inhibit women from
using those services when available is vital.(9)

"As a woman and mother living with HIV, every aspect of my life
is severely impacted by my condition. Whether it is the struggle to
take care of your family, maintain your livelihood or regulate your
health, for many women living with HIV is a dire situation," said
author and meeting speaker Ophelia Haanyama Orum. "By relaying
advances in research and key gender findings, the medical community
will now have a better understanding of data they need in order to
make more informed treatment decisions and provide better care to
their female patients. This greater understanding of the dynamics of
HIV/AIDS and women can then hopefully translate into decreased
mortality and higher quality of life for the many millions of women
that are impacted by this deadly disease."

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company
committed to discovering, developing and delivering innovative
medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.

(1) Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Report on the
Global AIDS Epidemic. 2008. Available at http://www.unaids.org/en/Kno
wledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/2008/2008_Globa l_report.asp.
Accessed 11 September 2009

(2) Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS et al. Women and
HIV/AIDS: Confronting the Crisis. Available at
http://www.unfpa.org/hiv/women/report/chapter1.html. Accessed 11
September 2009

(3) EuroSurveillance. HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Europe: Update
2007. Available at http://www.euro.who.int/document/e92074.pdf.
Accessed 6 October 2009

(4) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV/AIDS Among
Women. 2008. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets/women.htm.
Accessed 11 September 2009

(5) UNAIDS. Report of the Global AIDS Epidemic. 2004. Available
at http://www.unaids.org/bangkok2004/GAR2004_html/GAR2004_00_en.htm.
Accessed 11 September 2009

(6) Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Facing the
Challenges of HIV/AIDS/STDS: A gender-based response. Available at
http://data.unaids.org/Topics/Gender/FacingChallenges_en.pdf.
Accessed 11 September 2009

(7) Murri, R. et al. Access to Antiretroviral Treatment,
Incidence of Sustained Therapy Interruptions, and Risk of Clinical
Events According to Sex. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2003 (34): 189.

(8) The Well Project. Pharmacokinetics. Available at http://www.t
hewellproject.org/en_US/Treatment_and_Trials/Things_to_Consider/P
harmacokinetics.jsp. Accessed 11 September 2009

(9) The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS. Keeping the Promise:
An Agenda for Action on Women and AIDS. Available at http://data.unai
ds.org/pub/Booklet/2006/20060530_FS_Keeping_Promise_en.pdf. Accessed
11 September 2009

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