WASHINGTON Patients infected with the AIDS virus should stay on medication for the rest of their lives, researchers said in a study Tuesday in the Review Nature Medicine. Researchers at the John Hopkins Moore Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, found that HIV hides in the immune system's T cells for at least six decades even when there is no trace of the virus in the blood.

This doesn't mean a cure for HIV is impossible, but it is an obstacle, said the study's main author, Robert Siliciano. And it emphasizes that patients need to stay on their medication, possibly for the rest of their lives, he added. In 1995, the same team of researchers found that HIV evades anti-viral drugs by hiding in the immune system, infecting white blood cells, and then going to sleep.

The finding helped explain why some patients without traces of HIV in the blood experienced a rebound after coming off their medication, the study said. By monitoring 34 patients over two years, the latest study concluded that the virus could remain in its dormant state for at least 60 years. The good news is that patients who comply with their therapy are able to keep the virus suppressed for long periods, said Joel Gallant, who directs the Moore Clinic. HIV-infected patients can still live long, healthy lives without symptoms, provided they are rigorous about taking their medications, Gallant said.

(AFP)