Study finds putting off treatment costs HIV patients, taxpayers dearly

Nearly half of HIV patients are “late entrants” when it comes to getting treated for their sexually transmitted disease (STD), researchers report.

A study conducted by scientists at Johns Hopkins University found that, among nearly 8,500 surveyed HIV patients, over 43 percent had sought entry into the healthcare system only after the symptoms of the disease were well advanced.

Their immune systems were severely reduced, the study’s authors said, on average to roughly one quarter of a healthy person’s immunity.

Not only does late treatment increase patients’ risks of complication and early death, but, the researchers added, it costs between $27,000 and $62,000 more than treatment of early or even pre-symptomatic HIV.

Their findings indicate that screening for HIV and other STDs is all the more important in expediting treatment among the infected, they concluded. Those concerned that they have contracted HIV may consider utilizing widely available, privacy-preserving online testing services in order to get some surety.

A fifth of the more than one million Americans with HIV are unaware of being infected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.