Hiv Sufferers May Get Transplants

As new therapies prolong the lives of those infected with the virus that causes AIDS, the University of California in San Francisco is offering organ transplants to people infected with HIV.

But doctors said they would only offer organs to people whose infection with the virus was under control and who are not dying from other diseases.

And HIV patients will only get organs that otherwise would have been turned down, so others will not be deprived of the kidneys or hearts they need, said Dr. Nancy Ascher, a UCSF liver transplant surgeon.

That would include body parts from donors who are HIV negative but considered high risk - such as people who are gay, have multiple sex partners or have a history of intravenous drug use.