Options For Treating Castleman Disease

Antiviral Drugs

Often, Castleman disease (particularly multicentric) is associated with individuals diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. This is because they have a compromised immune system that allows for the infection of a virus called HHV8. HHV8 is a virus scientifically linked with an abnormal overgrowth of noncancerous cells in the lymph nodes around the body. Antiviral drugs are specially designed to fight off viruses in a way similar to how antibiotics are formulated to fight off bacteria. Antiviral medications also reduce the widespread inflammatory response by the immune system. They are also used in Castleman disease to help fight off the HHV8 virus when it is what caused the disease. The objective of antivirals in this respect is to actually inhibit the environment that fosters the growth and multiplication of the HHV8 virus, causing the virus to eventually die off. Antivirals do not actually kill off the virus themselves. If the antiviral medication is effective at treating the infection of the HHV8 virus, then it will also be effective at treating Castleman disease.

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