Heavy drinkers who are infected with the HIV virus and are not receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) have lower CD4 cell counts than nondrinkers, according to researchers from Boston University's School of Medicine.

Many HIV-positive patients drink, and the study of 595 HIV-infected individuals found that while heavy drinkers receiving ART were as healthy as their nondrinking peers, those not receiving ART seemed to suffer more rapid disease progression.

"Alcohol use in patients with a prevalent disease such as HIV can have important public health consequences," said lead study author Jeffrey Samet, M.D., MPH. "HIV-infected persons who drink alcohol heavily and are not on ART might decrease their risk of disease progression if they abstain from alcohol use."

"Although limited evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of intervention for alcohol problems specifically in people with HIV, its implementation among HIV-infected populations seems to be a worthwhile goal," added senior author Richard Saitz, M.D., MPH.

The study appears online in the August 2007 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.