3-15: AIDS (Part 1)

Question 1

Discuss the prevalence of AIDS worldwide.

Answer 1

In 2003, an estimated 40 million people worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS. 11 out of 1000 people worldwide are infected with HIV.

Question 2

Describe the effects of HIV on the immune system.

Answer 2

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the helper T cells and macrophage.

Question 3

explain how HIV is transmitted

Answer 3

The virus appears to be transmitted exclusively by the exchange of cell-containing bodily fluids, especially semen and blood. It can be transmitted through unprotected sex and through the sharing of contaminated needles.

Question 4

list the symptoms of aids

Answer 4

Early symptoms are mild, with swollen glands and mild, flu-like symptoms predominating. After 3 to 6 weeks, the infection may abate, leading to a long asymptomatic period, during which viral growth is slow and controlled.
Later symptoms include pneumonia, various types of cancer such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphoma, diarrhea, wasting, joint pain, CNS damage, blindness, depression, apathy, confusion, depression, and eventually coma and death.

Question 5

Discuss the effectiveness of HAART in the treatment of AIDS.

Answer 5

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is a combination of antiretroviral medications that has dramatically improved the health of HIV individuals. So successful have these drug combinations been that, in some patients, HIV can no longer be discerned in the bloodstream. However, people on antiretroviral medications such as protease inhibitors must take these drugs faithfully, often several times a day, or the drugs will fail to work. Because the treatments are complex and can disrupt activities, adherence to the drugs is variable, posing a major problem for stemming the progress of the virus.

Question 6

Identify the populations most at risk for contracting AIDS.

Answer 6

Early on in the U.S. AIDS epidemic, the two major at-risk groups were homosexual men and intravenous drug users. While these groups continue to have the largest number of AIDS cases, low-income African Americans, Hispanics, and other minority populations are increasingly at risk. Adolescents and young adults are the most at risk because they are the most sexually active group, having more sex with different partners than any other age group. The CDC currently reports that the number of AIDS cases is growing fastest among women, especially minority women, than for any other group.

Question 7

Describe the common responses to testing HIV+.

Answer 7

The most common responses to testing HIV+ are: stress at first, that gets moderated over time; depression and even suicidal ideation in a small subset of patients (although most learn to cope well with their HIV status); positive changes in health behavior (such as increased exercise, better dietary habits, and eliminating smoking and drug use).

Question 8

Discuss the health consequences of disclosure.

Answer 8

Those who disclose their HIV+ status to their friends have significantly higher levels of T cells and higher overall immunocompetence than those who have not.

Question 9

acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Answer 9

progressive impairment of the immune system by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); a diagnosis of AIDS is made on the basis of the presence of one or more specific opportunistic infections.

Question 10

human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Answer 10

The virus that is implicated in the development of AIDS.