HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) – a virus that attacks the immune system. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) – a disease in which the immune system of the patient is weakened. It is the end stage of HIV infection.

HIV/AIDS This is what most people envision when they think about HIV/AIDS. This person has AIDS, the end stage of HIV infection.

HIV/AIDS You can not tell that someone has HIV by looking them. They look normal and may not even know that they are infected.

HIV/AIDS FACTS AIDS has become one of the deadliest diseases in human history. More than 25 million people around the world have died from this disease, including more than 500,000 Americans. Health care officials estimate that currently 40 million people worldwide have HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS FACTS Approximately 12 million of the people who have HIV/AIDS are in the 15-24 age group. Half of all new HIV infections are among young people. Every day, about 7,000 young people become infected. The fastest growing population is among African American women aged 15-19. The seriousness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is greatly increased because many of the young people who are infected do not know it.

HIV and the Human Body When HIV enters the blood, it invades certain white blood cells of the immune system, including T cells, which help other lymphocytes identify and destroy pathogens (germs).

HIV and the Human Body The viruses take over the cells and cause them to produce new copies of themselves. The newly produced viruses break out of the cell, destroying them. The new viruses infect other cells, and then the process repeats itself.

HIV and the Human Body As the number of viruses increases and the number of T cells decreases, the immune system becomes less capable of preventing infections and cancer. The body becomes susceptible to common infections and to opportunistic infections (infections that occur in individuals who do not have a healthy immune system). HIV infection is progressive (occurring over months or years). Being infected with HIV does not necessarily mean the individual has AIDS. AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection.

HIV Transmission HIV is a fragile virus and cannot live outside the human body. Exposure to air at room temperature kills the virus.

HIV Transmission HIV cannot be spread through airborne transmission, through casual contact (shaking hands, hugging,), or from insect bites. Although the virus has been found in sweat, tears, and saliva of infected persons, the amount is too small to be considered dangerous. Even kissing is a low risk activity if you have no open sore or cuts in your mouth. It cannot be transmitted through food, sharing toilet seats or telephones, working next to or being in the same room as an infected person, or touching an infected person.

HIV Transmission HIV is transmitted among humans only when one person’s infected blood, semen, or vaginal secretions comes in contact with another person’s broken skin or mucous membranes. Mucous membranes can be found in the mouth, eyes, nose, vagina, rectum, and the opening in the penis

HIV Transmission HIV can be spread by: Any form of sexual contact. Injecting drugs and sharing needles. Mother to baby – either directly through the umbilical cord, during delivery, or while nursing.

Stages of HIV Infection In general, these symptoms disappear within a week to a month and are often mistaken for another viral infection, such as the flu. A person is considered infectious immediately after contracting the virus. Approximately half of all persons develop symptoms about 3-6 weeks after becoming infected with HIV. Symptoms include fever, rash, headache, body aches, and swollen glands

Stages of HIV Infection After the flu-like symptoms disappear, the person enters the asymptomatic stage, a period of time during which a person infected with HIV has no symptoms. A person may show no signs of illness for 6 months to 10 years or more. However, the virus continues to grow and the infected person can still transmit the virus to others.

Stages of HIV Infection During the asymptomatic stage, the immune system keeps pace with HIV infection by producing billions of new cells. Eventually though, the number of cells in the immune system decline to the point where other infections start to take over This marks the symptomatic stage, the stage in which an infected person has symptoms as a result of a severe drop in immune cells. The symptoms include swollen glands, weight loss, and yeast infections.

Stages of HIV Infection During the latter stage of HIV infection, more serious symptoms appear until the infection meets the official definition of AIDS. This includes the presence of HIV infection, a severely damaged immune system measured by the number of helper T cells, and the appearance of one or more opportunistic infections or illnesses. By the time AIDS develops, HIV has often attacked brain cells, causing difficulty in thinking or remembering.

AIDS Opportunistic Illnesses AIDS –OIs are disorders caused by organisms that do not usually produce illness in healthy people with unimpaired immune systems.

AIDS Opportunistic Illnesses Karposis Sarcoma Usually the first AIDS-OI to infect AIDS patients It is a type of skin cancer that presents with red lesions covering the body.

AIDS Opportunistic Illnesses Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC) MAC is a bacterial infection. Symptoms include persistent fever, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss, chronic diarrhea, anemia, abdominal pain, weakness, dizziness, and nausea.

AIDS Opportunistic Illnesses Cryptococcosis (Cryptococcal Disease) A fungal infection that may cause meningitis or a form of pneumonia. Symptoms of meningitis include headache, stiff neck, fever, blurred vision, a staggering gait, and fatigue If left untreated, the infection may end in coma or death.

AIDS Opportunistic Illnesses Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP) A protozoal infection that causes a form of pneumonia. Symptoms include difficulty in breathing, fever, and a persistent cough.

AIDS Opportunistic Illnesses Toxoplasmosis Gondii A protozoal infection that can cause encephalitis. It is characterized by an altered mental state – confusion, lethargy, and delusional behavior – as well as paralysis on one side of the body, seizures, severe headaches, fever, and coma.

AIDS Opportunistic Illnesses Cytomegalovirus (CMV) A viral infection with symptoms that include blurry vision, blindness, pain and difficulty swallowing, lesions in the esophagus, fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, wasting (an infection of the cells lining the intestines), and eventual blindness.

AIDS Opportunistic Illnesses AIDS-Related Cognitive Motor Dysfunction Formerly known as AIDS Dementia Complex. A progressive disorder in which brain tissue is destroyed. Symptoms range from mild confusion to instability to control one’s muscular movement

AIDS Opportunistic Illnesses Peripheral Nerve / Spinal Cord Dysfunction An inflammation of the nerves connecting the central nervous system to the sensory organs, muscles, glands, and internal organs. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, pain, and muscle weakness.

Detecting HIV The first test usually performed is an ELISA (EIA), a test that screens for the presence of HIV antibodies in the blood. The EIA reacts to even small numbers of HIV antibodies. However, the EIA may give inaccurate results because: Developing antibodies takes time. Before antibodies develop, the EIA may give a false negative result. This means the test is negative, but the person may be positive; there just aren’t enough antibodies for the test to detect. Most people will test positive in 3-4 weeks, but some people take up to 6 months to test positive.

Detecting HIV Certain health conditions such as hemophilia, hepatitis, and pregnancy can cause the EIA to give a false positive reading. This means that although the test was positive, the person does not have the infection. If the EIA test is positive, it can be repeated to make sure the results are accurate. If the repeat test is also positive, other confirmatory test are done.

Detecting HIV The Western Blot test is the most common confirmation test for HIV. If done properly, this test is 100% accurate. If the results of all three of these tests are positive, a person is determined to have HIV, and is referred to as HIV-positive or HIV-Reactive

Detecting HIV These two test give a more complete picture of an HIV-infected person’s condition. They can help doctors monitor the disease and determine how much medicine, if any, a patient needs. Two additional test – the RNA and CD4 – may be run when a Western Blot test comes back positive. The RNA, or viral load test, shows how many copies of the virus are circulating in the blood The CD4 test looks at the number of white blood cells in a sample of blood.

Detecting HIV Home testing kits are available, but are not always considered to be trustworthy.

HIV/AIDS Treatment Since the early 1980s, drugs have been developed to slow the growth of HIV and treat some of the symptoms. No drug yet exists to cure HIV/AIDS Many of the drugs available are also used to treats opportunistic infections.

HIV/AIDS Treatment To slow the growth of HIV, people take a combination of drugs, a treatment known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). People may have take more than 30 pills a day. In 2006, the FDA approved a once-daily, single pill for HIV, but is not effective for every patient.