Medical Centric

AIDS

Sexual Health, Skin Conditions / By

AIDS

Acquired immunodeficiency disease (AIDS) is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

  • HIV damages your immune system and interferes with your body’s ability to fight off infections.
  • If left untreated, HIV infects and kills the CD4 cells that are essential in protecting the body from diseases and infections.
  • Untreated HIV progress to AIDS typically after 10 years.
  • Healthy adults have a CD4 count of 500 to 1,500 per cubic millimeter.
  • As the infection progresses, HIV kills more CD4 cells and weakens the immune system so much that it can no longer fight off certain types of infections and diseases.
  • This advanced stage of HIV infection is called AIDS. The CD4 count in a person with AIDS has fallen below 200 per cubic millimeter.
  • AIDS can make an individual vulnerable to a wide range of illnesses, including tuberculosis, pneumonia, candidiasis, or cancer.
  • After diagnosis, life expectancy is about three years. The shortened life expectancy associated with AIDS is not a direct result of the syndrome but rather a result of the diseases and complications that arise from a weakened immune system.
  • Not everyone with HIV develops AIDS.

CAUSES

AIDS is caused by HIV. HIV is transmitted in bodily fluids including blood, semen, and breast milk, vaginal and rectal fluids. This can happen in several ways.

  • Through vaginal or anal sex
  • From blood transfusion
  • By sharing needles, syringes
  • During breastfeeding
  • During pregnancy, labor or delivery from mother to child.
  • Organ or tissue transplant.

Anyone can be infected, some factors can put an individual at greatest risk. This may include

  • Having an unprotected sex
  • Use of intravenous drugs. People who use intravenous drugs often share needles
  • Having STI

SYMPTOMS

When HIV progresses to AIDS, symptoms may include:

  • Recurring fever
  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Weight loss
  • Persistent fatigue
  • Skin rashes or bumps
  • Soaking night sweats
  • Persistent white spots on your tongue or in your mouth

DIAGNOSIS

To diagnose AIDS, the doctor will need a confirmed, positive test of HIV and an evidence of severely depleted CD4 cells or the presence of a damaged immune system.

Testing for HIV may involve testing your blood, urine or saliva to look for antibodies against HIV

CD4 T cell count may be used to check the level of CD4 cell present in your body. A CD4 T cell count that is below 200 may indicate that you have AIDS.

TREATMENT

There is no known cure for AIDS, but many different medications are available to control HIV. These drugs are known as antiretroviral medications.

Antiretroviral medications only suppress the virus from reproducing and delays the disease from progressing to AIDS.

The classes of antiretroviral drugs include:

  • Nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
  • Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
  • Protease inhibitors (PIs)
  • Entry or fusion inhibitors
  • Integrase inhibitors

These are combined in different forms according to the needs of the patient.

The treatment regimen may consist of a combination of three drugs from two classes. This is important because using only one class of medication by itself allows the virus to build resistance to such medication.