1. AIDS

2. What is AIDS  Applies to the most advanced stages of HIV infection.  CDC defines AIDS as all HIV infected people who have fewer than 200 CD4 positive T cells per cubic millimeter of blood.  1000 or more.

3.  The definition also includes 26 clinical conditions that affect people with advanced HIV.  Most of these individuals are opportunistic infections.

4.  Symptoms of opportunistic infections common in people with AIDS include:  Coughing and shortness of breath  Seizures and lack of coordination  Difficult or painful swallowing  Mental symptoms such as confusion and forgetfulness  Severe and persistent diarrhea

5.  Fever  Vision loss  Nausea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting  Weight loss and extreme fatigue  Severe headaches  Coma

6.  Children with AIDS get the same opportunistic infections, but they also have severe forms of bacterial infections.  Prone to certain types of cancers:  Kaposi’s sarcoma  Cervical cancer  Lymphomas  Cancers are more aggressive and more difficult to treat.

7. How is HIV infection diagnosed?  Testing an individual’s blood for the presence of antibodies to HIV.  HIV antibodies do not reach detectable levels until one to three months following infection, and may take up to six months.

8.  People exposed to the virus should get tested within 6 weeks to 12 months after possible exposure to the virus.  Begin proper treatment.  Avoid high-risk behavior.  Two different antibody tests are used.  1. ELISA  2. Western Blot

9.  Babies born to mothers infected with HIV may or may not be infected.  Babies will carry their mothers’ antibodies for several months.  15 months of age.

10. How is HIV infection treated?  Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RT inhibitors).  Interrupts the early stage of the virus making copies of itself.  AZT  May slow the spread of HIV in the body and delay the start of opportunistic infections.

11.  Protease inhibitors  Interrupt virus replication at a later stage.  HIV can become resistant to any of these drugs, so a combination treatment is used.  HAART – combination of RT and Protease inhibitors.

12.  HAART is a major factor in significantly reducing the number of deaths from AIDS in the U.S.  Antiviral drugs do have severe side effects. Possible negative drug interactions.

13.  Drugs available to help treat opportunistic infections.  Cancers treated with radiation, chemotherapy, alpha interferon.

14. How can HIV infection be prevented?  AVOID BEHAVIORS THAT PUT AN INDIVIDUAL AT RISK.  ABSTINANCE.