Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Original Editors - Holly Grant from Bellarmine University's Pathophysiology of Complex Patient Problems project.
Lead Editors - Your name will be added here if you are a lead editor on this page. Read more.
Definition/Description[edit | edit source]
AIDS is a chronic, life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Acquired means that the diease is not inherited or genetic in nature, but develops as a result of a virus. Immuno refers to the immune system, and deficiency means that the immune system is underperforming or hypoacive. By damaging your immune system, HIV interferes with your body's ability to fight off viruses, bacteria and fungi that cause disease. HIV makes you more susceptible to certain types of cancers and to infections your body would normally resist. The cytopathogenic virus and the infection itself are known as HIV. "Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)" is the name given to the later and more serious stages of an HIV infection.
An estimated 40.3 million people have HIV worldwide. And though the spread of the virus has slowed in some countries, it has escalated or remained unchanged in others. The best hope for stemming the spread of HIV lies in prevention, treatment and education.
Prevalence[edit | edit source]
Prevalence is the number of people living with HIV infection at the end of a given year. According to the CDC, at the end of 2006, an estimated 1,106,400 persons in the United States were living with HIV infection, with 21% of people undiagnosed. Incidence is the number of new HIV infections that occur during a given year. In 2008, the CDC estimated that approximately 56,300 people were newly infected with HIV. Over half of these new infections occurred in gay and bisexual men. Black/African American men and women were also strongly affected and were estimated to have an incidence rate that was 7 times as high as the incidence rate among whites.
Characteristics/Clinical Presentation[edit | edit source]
The clinical presentation of HIV and AIDS vary depending on which stage of infection the person is in.
Early infection:
When a person first becomes infected with HIV, there are no signs and symptoms at all, although it is common to have the person develop a brief flu-like illness two to four weeks after becoming infected. Early signs and symptoms may include: fever, headache, sore throat, swollen lymph vessels, and rash. Eventhough, the person may or may not exhibit symptoms they can still transmit the virus to others. Once, the virsus enters the person's body, the person's immune system comes under attack. The virus then starts to multiply in the person's lymph nodes and slowly degins to eradicate the helper T- cells, the white blood cells that help the immune system.
Later infection:
A person may remain symptom free for as long as 8-9 years, but as the virus continues to multiply and destroy immune cells, the person may begin to develop chronic symptoms and or acquire mild infections. Chronic symptoms seen in this stage are but not limited to the following: swollen lympth nodes-which is often one of the first signs of HIV infection, diarrhea, weight loss, fever, cough and shortness of breath.
Latest phase of infection:
Usually, after a person has been infected with HIV for 10 years or more the last phase of HIV conmenses. More serious symptoms of the virus start to appear and the infection may then meet the offical definition of AIDS. By the time AIDS develops, the person's immune system has been severly damaged, making the person susceptible to many opportunistic infections. The signs and symptoms of some of these infections may but not limited to the following: soaking night sweats, shaking chills or fecer higher than 100 degrees F (38 C) for several weeks, dry cough and shortness of breath, chronic diarrhea, persistant white spots or unusual lesions on the person's tongue or in thier mouth, headeaches, blurred and distorted vision, weight loss. In 1993, the CDC redefined AIDS to mean the presence of HIV infection as shown by a positive HIV antibody test with the presense of at least one of the following:
The development of an oppertunistic infection-an infection that occurs when your immune system is impaired such as Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP)
A CD4 lymphocyte, helper T cell count of 200 or less. Normal count ranges from 800 to 1,200.
Associated Co-morbidities[edit | edit source]
add text here
Medications[edit | edit source]
add text here
Diagnostic Tests/Lab Tests/Lab Values[edit | edit source]
add text here
Causes[edit | edit source]
Around the laste 1970's and 80's doctors began noticing that an increasing number of people were suffering from serveral unusual and rare illnesses. At first, little was known about what was happening to these inital victims of AIDS. Doctors were unsure as to what was causing the condition. Many of the first people diadgnosed with this strange new condition were homosexual men and because of this the condition was labeled GRID, gay related immunodefiency. However, the condition soon started showing up in men and women intravenous drug users and hemophiliacs. In 1983, the Institut Pasteur in France regonized that the virus that was causing so much panic was the result of AIDS. The virus that resulted from AIDS was then named HIV, human immunodefiency virus. Researchers in France, now understood that the virus passed from each person via the exchange of semen, blood and or vaginal secreations during sexual contact. Researchers also leraned that AIDS weakens the immune system by destroying the bodies white blood cells specifically the helper T-cells. Helper T- cells help the body fight off viruses and bacteria that enter the body. In 1985 another breakthrough took place, a blood test for the presence of HIV antibodies in the person's blood stream.
There has been many theories and much speculation as to where the AIDS virus first orginated. AIDS used to be a very rare and isolated virsus that affected a few types of monkeys and chimpanzees in Africa. AIDS is related to another virus, Simian Immunodefiency virus that affects monkeys and apes. It was thought that humans were first exposed to AIDS when they caught the monkeys for food and kept them as pets and or if they were scratched and bitten by an infected moneky/ape.
Systemic Involvement[edit | edit source]
add text here
Medical Management (current best evidence)[edit | edit source]
add text here
Physical Therapy Management (current best evidence)[edit | edit source]
add text here
Alternative/Holistic Management (current best evidence)[edit | edit source]
add text here
Differential Diagnosis[edit | edit source]
add text here
Case Reports[edit | edit source]
add links to case studies here (case studies should be added on new pages using the case study template)
Resources
[edit | edit source]
add appropriate resources here
Recent Related Research (from Pubmed)[edit | edit source]
see tutorial on Adding PubMed Feed
Extension:RSS -- Error: Not a valid URL: Feed goes here!!|charset=UTF-8|short|max=10
References[edit | edit source]
see adding references tutorial.
