How does the HIV virus destroy the lungs of patients step by step?

Up to 30% of HIV patients treated with antiretroviral therapy develop emphysema of chronic lung disease. A new study by medical researchers at Weill Cornell found a mechanism that might explain why lung damage occurs.

In a study published in the May 9 issue of the Cell Report, the researchers showed that human immunodeficiency virus or HIV binds to stem cells, called basal cells, which are transformed into other types of cells. This process reprograms the basal cells, causing them to release an enzyme called a protease that can destroy the lung tissue and poke the holes in the wall of the air pocket where the oxygen exchange takes place.

"This study is important because, despite the fact that antiretroviral drugs turn HIV into a chronic rather than fatal disease, the viral blood banks that remain in the lungs and other tissues continue to cause serious side effects," senior author Ronald Dr. Crystal said. “Now we have more information about how HIV causes emphysema. We can learn more about this potential enzyme target and work to develop a treatment to prevent this lung injury.”

HIV病毒如何一步步摧毁患者的肺部

Since antiretroviral drugs have been used to treat 18.2 million people who are HIV positive in the world and have access to these drugs, 1.2 million of them are in the United States, and the number has increased significantly. However, as HIV-positive people live longer, they are also diagnosed with degenerative diseases of the brain, heart and lungs, and the incidence is higher than the general population. Many scientists have studied how long-term treatment of AIDS treatment can lead to these results. Some people think that antiretroviral drugs themselves may contribute to these problems, while others have studied the role of inflammatory cells. Crystal said that the study did not deny the early theory, but revealed a new mechanism by which the virus can attach to the basic airway cells and reprogram, which should be a possible therapeutic target. the study.

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