Transcript AIDS - Krafty

AIDS
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.
 The definition also includes 26 clinical
conditions that affect people with
advanced HIV.
 Most of these individuals are
opportunistic infections.
 Symptoms of opportunistic infections
common in people with AIDS include:
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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
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Fever
Vision loss
Nausea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting
Weight loss and extreme fatigue
Severe headaches
Coma
 Children with AIDS get the same opportunistic
infections, but they also have severe forms of
bacterial infections.
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Prone to certain types of cancers:
Kaposi’s sarcoma
Cervical cancer
Lymphomas
 Cancers are more aggressive and more difficult
to treat.
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.
 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
 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.
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.
 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.
 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.
 Drugs available to help treat opportunistic
infections.
 Cancers treated with radiation,
chemotherapy, alpha interferon.
How can HIV infection be
prevented?
 AVOID BEHAVIORS THAT PUT AN
INDIVIDUAL AT RISK.
 ABSTINANCE.