HIV/AIDS

LAUREN DAVIDSON

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS

Commonly know as HIV

Attacks the immune system

• Destroys CD4+ T cells

Transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids

• Blood

• Semen, pre-seminal fluid

• Rectal fluids

• Vaginal fluids

• Breast milk

STAGES OF HIV

1. Acute Infection

2. Clinical Latency

3. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

• AIDS

1. ACUTE INFECTION

Within 2 to 4 weeks after infection with HIV

Acute retroviral syndrome (ARS): flu-like symptoms

• Primary HIV infection

Possible to show no symptoms

Greatest chance to spread HIV

2. CLINICAL LATENCY

Asymptomatic/Chronic HIV infection

Virus reproduces within the body at slower rates

Still possible to spread virus

3. ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME

AIDS- final stage of infection

Body is vulnerable to infections and infection-related cancers

• Opportunistic illnesses

Diagnosis:

• CD4+ cells < 200 cells/mm3• Develop one or more opportunistic illnesses

HIV/AIDS IN THE US

First reported in the United States:

• HIV: mid-late 1970’s• AIDS: 1981

Since 1981, more than 980,000 cases of AIDS have been reported

Over 1,000,000 Americans are infected with HIV

• ¼ are unaware of infection

HIV/AIDS IN THE US

About 50,000 people get infected with HIV each year

In 2010, about 15,500 people with AIDS died in the United States

• More than 635,000 individuals with AIDS in the United States have died

HIV/AIDS IN THE US

TRANSMISSION

Having sex without a condom

Sharing needles

Pregnancy, child birth, breast feeding

• 25% chance

RISK FACTORS

Risky Behavior

Racial/Ethnicity

Gender

Age

COMPLICATIONS

COMMON INFECTIONS

Tuberculosis (TB)

Salmonellosis.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV

Candidiasis

• “Thrush”

Cryptococcal meningitis

Toxoplasmosis

Cryptosporidiosis

OTHER COMPLICATIONS

Cancer:

• Kaposi's sarcoma

• tumor of the blood vessel walls

• Lymphoma

Wasting syndrome

Dementia

Kidney disease

TREATMENT

HIV/AIDS is not curable

• Only treatable

31 antiretroviral drugs (ARVs)

• Suppress virus replication

Medication regimen

• Several drugs, several times a day

• “Medical cocktail”

Adherence is crucial

PREVENTION REDUCE THE RISK OF CONTRACTING OR TRANSMITTING HIV:

• Get tested regularly

• Practice abstinence

• Remain faithful to spouse/ partner

• Do not share needles

• Use male or female condoms

STRESS

Psychosocial factors play an important role in progression of HIV infection, its morbidity and mortality:

• Stressful life events

• Depression

• Denial/Avoidance coping

• Negative expectations

• Lack of social support

ARV treatment helps to reduce impact of stress

THANK YOU

BIBLIOGRAPHYBalbin, EG, Ironson, GH,Solomon, GF. (1999). Stress and Coping: The Psychoneuroimmunology of HIV/AIDS. Best Practice and Research Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 13(4), 615-633.

Baruchel, S. (1992). The Role of Oxidative Stress in Disease Progression in Individuals Infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 52(1), 111-114.

HIV/AIDS (2008). In National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases online. Retrieved from http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/HIVAIDS/Understanding/Pages/whatAreHIVAI

DS.aspx

HIV Basics (n.d). In Centers for Disease Control and Prevention online. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/index.html

Leserman, J., Petitto, J. M., Golden, R. N., Gaynes, B. N., & al, e. (2000). Impact of Stressful Life Events, Depression, Social Support, Coping, and Cortisol on Progression to AIDS. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 157(8), 1221-8.

Leserman, J., Petitto, J. M., Gu, H., Gaynes, B. N., Barroso, J., Golden, R. N., Evans, D. L. (2002). Progression to AIDS, a Clinical AIDS Condition and Mortality: Psychosocial and Physiological Predictors. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 1059-73.