The Lisbon Patient:Turning 100 Miguel is the oldest known person Living with HIV

[Jim]

This story did not really fit in Research News & Studies so posting it here. I've not yet verified this story, but thought its an interesting share none the less.

Published Monday, December 17, 2018

The Lisbon Patient: Meet the man living with HIV who's about to turn 100
CTV National News: HIV medical milestone
    
Daniel Otis, CTVNews.ca Writer
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/the-lisbon-patient-meet-the-man-living-with-hiv-who-s-about-to-turn-100-1.4214965

Miguel first arrived at the hospital near Lisbon, he was suffering from rare forms of lymphoma and colitis as well as a dangerously low CD4 count, which are white blood cells that play a significant role in our immune systems. Miguel’s medical team would soon learn that these were all the result of AIDS: the deadly final stage of an HIV infection.

“If he did not begin the treatment… other infections, other malignancies, other complications (could have appeared),” Dr. Henrique Santos, Miguel’s primary physician, told CTV News.

Miguel underwent several brutal rounds of chemotherapy.  Once he had stabilized, doctors then attacked his HIV infection with an aggressive and toxic combination of eight antiretroviral drugs. At first, even Santos had misgivings.

“When this patient came to me at this age, I had some doubts that he should be treated,” Santos recalled. “Everything went well, but it could have gone wrong. There could have been signs of toxicity. He could have not been able to bear the treatment. He could have missed the treatment. We had to consider those scenarios.”

It is unknown exactly when and how Miguel contracted HIV -- he has been loath to speak about it -- but his medical team estimates that he was living with the virus for about a decade before being diagnosed at age 84. Unprotected heterosexual contact, they believe, was the most likely culprit.

After being on the brink of death 15 years ago, today Miguel has a strong CD4 cell count and an undetectable viral load, meaning that he has almost no virus in his blood and cannot transmit HIV. In other words, The Lisbon Patient is as healthy as a 99-year-old could be. Almost completely independent, he even lives alone and receives only minimal assistance in his day-to-day life from a family member who resides in the same apartment building.

“I still feel well enough that I don’t bother other people that much,” Miguel said. “I feel fit enough, too, to take care of all my routines, to get dressed, to put my shoes on, to go to bed. I do all of that at home alone.”

A key to the success of Miguel’s treatment, his medical team says, is that he religiously takes his antiretroviral medication.

[beanstalk]

Good news, although I can't find the news in any Portuguese news website...

[beanstalk]

I just spoke with a friend of mine which is a doctor here in Lisbon and he says he knows who Dr. Inês Pintassilgo is, so probably legit!

[Jim]

 

Thanks, appreciate it.  I do suspect it is legit, screening news for the forum is pain at times, there is just so much fake or poorly written stuff around. 

[Jim]

Miguel’s family, however, asked CTV News not to show his face or use his real name in this story.

“Not so big as 10 years or 20 years ago, but there is still stigma,” Santos said. “Because the way people can get an infection by sex, by drugs, the stigma still exists.”

This is a shame of course, however he is quite right that the main acts that can lead to an HIV infection are already stigmatized in society as it is even without HIV.

[Jim]

Meet the Oldest Known Person Living With HIV [VIDEO]

https://www.poz.com/article/meet-oldest-known-person-living-hiv-video

[Bucklandbury]

"Miguel" died in 2019, at age 100.

This is old news, but I feel like putting a bookend here on "Miguel's" story for archival purposes:

https://qnews.com.au/oldest-known-man-living-with-hiv-dies-at-age-100/

Looks like "Miguel" was diagnosed with AIDS/HIV Stage 4 at age 84. Doctors suggested he had been sick for about a decade (not sure how they ever guess this kind of thing as people are all very different - I progressed to AIDS within three years of seroconversion).

After treatment for lymphoma, "Miguel" was placed on eight different ARVs and became undetectable at some point and regained some greater amount of CD4s. He died in his sleep.

RIP, "Miguel."

==

One more source from Canada on "Miguel" before he died:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/the-lisbon-patient-man-living-with-hiv-turns-100-1.4214965

[leatherman]

(not sure how they ever guess this kind of thing as people are all very different - I progressed to AIDS within three years of seroconversion)..

the average time span from HIV infection to death is estimated to be 8 to 10 years. That's the average - there are plenty of outliers on either side of the bell curve. (and it's probably a tall skinny bell curve) While all my partners and I were right at the 10 yr. mark, sounds like you were one of the less lucky ones on the wrong side of the curve. ouch, sorry.

If they couldn't actually pinpoint the reason/date for this man's infection, between the AIDS (high VL, low CD4) and the lymphoma, they simply estimated the length of his infection.

After treatment for lymphoma, "Miguel" was placed on eight different ARVs and became undetectable at some point and regained some greater amount of CD4s.

This whole story is pretty amazing. An 84 year old man overcoming AIDS?! Wow! An 84 yr old man overcoming lymphoma?!? That's extra amazing!! Most people don't get through that treatment or only live 3-5 more years. To go on another 15 years?!? wow

Congratulations to this dude for giving AIDS a big ol' kick in the ass and then going on to live a long life!!

Although, not to brag too much, I'm planning on breaking this milestone one day. I'm planning on outliving AIDS by decades and not dying till I'm 104, like how long my grandmother lived.

[Mindless]

Congratulations to this dude for giving AIDS a big ol' kick in the ass and then going on to live a long life!!

Although, not to brag too much, I'm planning on breaking this milestone one day. I'm planning on outliving AIDS by decades and not dying till I'm 104, like how long my grandmother lived.

  You made me smile on a dark day