Michael Carter

Michael has been writing news reports for NAM since 2002. As a former staff member, he wrote and edited the first editions of many of NAM’s booklets and factsheets.

Neurological & cognitive problems

Data from routine clinical care shows people with HIV have an increased risk of dementia and that it's diagnosed at a younger age

Sexually transmitted infections epidemiology

Number of LGV cases among gay men in England reach new highs and most cases among men who are HIV negative

Side effects

Meta-analysis finds no real difference in safety and effectiveness between tenofovir formulations

Cancer

Women with HIV have sixfold increase in risk of cervical cancer

Self-testing & home testing

Dried blood spots have clear advantages over mini tubes when it comes to lab analysis of home collected samples for HIV and syphilis testing

Coronavirus

I’m living with HIV and have had the COVID vaccine

HIV testing programmes & uptake

Almost half of HIV diagnoses in Europe are late, with serious impact on health outcomes

Cancer

HIV is an independent risk factor for smoking-related cancers, especially in women

Cardiovascular disease

Reservoirs of HIV-infected cells that can't be reached by antiretroviral therapy associated with an important marker of cardiovascular disease risk

Undetectable viral load & treatment as prevention

U=U improves gay men's sense of self and many believe it will reduce HIV-related stigma

Cancer

Men living with HIV have an approximately 25% lower risk of prostate cancer, says meta-analysis

Drug interactions & pharmacokinetics

Study finds diabetes is associated with a 25% reduction in concentration of tenofovir in blood spot samples, but what are the causes and consequences?

PrEP

PrEP does not protect against COVID-19 or make the disease less severe

Weight gain & lipodystrophy

Genetics may contribute to weight gain after switching from efavirenz to an integrase inhibitor

Sexually transmitted infections tests & treatment

Self-sampling for STIs in the rectum and throat as diagnostically accurate as sampling by a clinician

Health monitoring in resource-limited settings

CD4 count testing has reduced with only a modest increase in viral load monitoring in southern Africa

Chemsex & recreational drug use

Crystal meth is the single biggest risk factor for HIV seroconversion among gay men in US study

Coronavirus

High prevalence of underlying health conditions explains increased COVID-19 mortality seen in people with HIV in US study