Romance could be HIV medicine

8216;8216;Social support, the emotional or tangible support available from other people,8217;8217; the authors wrote, 8216;8216;is one of the primary ways in which social relationships influence health.8217;8217;

People who live alone, the study noted, are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than are those who do not. But the researchers were curious how well the link applied to people with HIV.

The study, led by Dr Heiner C Bucher of the Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology in Switzerland, appears in BMJ, a British medical journal.

The researchers followed more than 3,700 infected people, 71 per cent male, over five years. Every six months, the volunteers were asked whether they were in stable sexual relationships. At the start of the study, 52 per cent said they were. By the end, the figure had dropped to 46 per cent. Eighty per cent reported being in a stable relationship at least once during the study.

The study cited several explanations. Social support may actually have physical effects on the body and its disease-fighting mechanisms. Or it may ward off depression and anxiety, which can weaken a body8217;s defences. A good relationship may also encourage people to take their prescriptions and to avoid unhealthy actions.

The New York Times News Service