HIV/AIDS – Symptoms And Causes

HIV/AIDS – Symptoms And Causes

Write short note on AIDS.

Answer. AIDS—Acquired immunodefiiency syndrome.

AIDS is the end stage of a progressive state of immunodefiiency.

Causative organism: Human immunodefiiency virus (HIV).

Mode of transmission

• Sexual intercourse
• Mother to fetus
• Through contaminated needles
• Through contaminated blood transfusion.

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General Features

• Weight loss more than l0%.
• Fever more than l month.
• Diarrhea more than l month.
• Neuralgia, arthralgia, headache.
• Generalized lymphadenopathy.
• Cutaneous rashes, dermatitis, fungal, bacterial, viral (herpes simplex l and 2) infection.
• Dental infection, gingivitis, candidiasis of oral cavity and esophagus.
• Varicella zoster infection.
• Opportunistic infections
• Poor healing after surgery, trauma, infection with more complications.

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Investigations

• ELISA test is the screening test
• Western blot is the confirmatory test
• Polymerase chain reaction
• Anti-HIV detection
• CD4+ count

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• Normal value is >500/mm3
• Values between 200 to 500/mm3 is seen in Kaposi’s sarcoma and candidiasis
• Values between 50 to 200/mm3 is seen in Pneumocystis carinii and
• Toxoplasma infection.
• Values <50/mm3 is seen in atypical mycobacteria, cytomegalovirus, and lymphomas.

As the patient is HIV infected, a time gap occurs for these tests to become reactive. This time gap is known as the window period. During this period, the person in infected.

Treatment

• Antiviral therapy or HAART therapy
  • Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI):
  • Zidovudine, didanosine, abacavir, lamivudine,stavudine.
  • Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI):
  • Nevirapine, delavirdine.
  • Protease inhibitors: Ritonavir, indinavir, amprenavir.
• Treatment of opportunistic infections.
• Treatment of tumors.
• Immunotherapy:
  • Alpha and gamma interferons.
  • Interleukins.
• Bone marrow transplantation.
• Anti-CD3 or IL-2 after HAART (Highly Active AntiRetroviral Therapy).
• Psychotherapy
• Counseling of HIV patients and their families.
• Life-expectancy after initial HIV infection is 8–l0 years.

“Risks Of Not Getting Tetanus Shots”

Prevention and Control

• Safe sexual contact (use of condom)
• Prevent sharing of needles among   abusers.
• Separate and sterilized needles should be used for each patient.
• Blood transfusion should be done after HIV testing.
• Health education.