Future hopes after HIV ‘jet lag’ discovery

SYMPTOMS similar to chronic jet lag have been discovered in people with HIV.

Researchers found the body’s daily rhythm – essential for good health – is delayed by more than an hour on average in HIV positive patients Their sleep also started later and finished earlier

All of this suggests the possibility that HIV infection may cause a circadian rhythm disorder similar to that experienced in shift work or jet lag, they say And the findings, from researchers at universities in South Africa and the UK, may explain some of the health problems experienced by people with HIV, and lead to research that will improve their quality of life

People aged 45 and over in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province, where the infection is endemic and does not associate with any difference in lifestyle, agreed to take part in the study