HIV patients are living longer today than ever before, thanks to innovations in medicine. As a national leader in those innovations, Kaiser Permanente frequently participates in medical studies to learn how we can even better care for you and all our members.
That’s why we recently participated in a study to identify risk factors for non-AIDS-defining cancers—cancers that are especially dangerous to HIV patients. These life-threatening conditions include heart attack, end-stage liver disease, and end-stage kidney disease. We’re committed to keeping you healthy through preventive care, and learning more about the risk factors for these conditions helps us develop even better screening and intervention strategies for our members.
The study discovered that tobacco smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are the most dangerous preventable risk factors for non-AIDS-defining cancers. If you’re an HIV patient, quitting smoking could save you from these life-threatening conditions—and if you need help quitting, Kaiser Permanente’s addiction therapy services can provide support. In addition, getting screened regularly for high blood pressure and high cholesterol can also help you avoid those cancers.
Armed with the knowledge from this study and many others, Kaiser Permanente will continue to innovate our preventive care strategies. And we hope you continue to take advantage of them, because nothing is more important to us than helping you live a long, healthy life.
doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(18)30295-9
Contributions of traditional and HIV-related risk factors on non-AIDS-defining cancer, myocardial infarction, and end-stage liver and renal diseases in adults with HIV in the USA and Canada: a collaboration of cohort studies.
