AIDS

1. AIDS

2. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the final stage of HIV Disease, which causes severe damage to the immune system.

3. Causes, incidence, and risk factors Important facts about the spread of AIDS include: AIDS is the sixth leading cause of death among people ages 25 - 44 in the United States, down from number one in 1995. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 25 million people worldwide have died from this infection since the start of the epidemic. In 2008, there were approximately 33.4 million people around the world living with HIV/AIDS, including 2.1 million children under age 15.

4. Symptoms • People with AIDS have had their immune system damaged by HIV and are very susceptible to these opportunistic infections. • Common symptoms are: • Chills • Fever • Sweats (particularly at night) • Swollen lymph glands • Weakness • Weight loss

5. Treatment There is no cure for AIDS at this time. However, a variety of treatments are available that can help keep symptoms at bay and improve the quality of life for those who have already developed symptoms. Preventing the virus from replicating can improve T-cell counts and help the immune system recover from the HIV infection. Genetic tests are now available to determine whether an HIV strain is resistant to a particular drug. This information may be useful in determining the best drug combination for each person, and adjusting the drug regimen if it starts to fail. These tests should be performed any time a treatment strategy begins to fail, and before starting therapy.

6. Complications When a person is infected with HIV, the virus slowly begins to destroy that person's immune system. How fast this occurs differs in each individual. Treatment with HAART can help slow or halt the destruction of the immune system. Once the immune system is severely damaged, that person has AIDS, and is now susceptible to infections and cancers that most healthy adults would not get. However, antiretroviral treatment can still be very effective, even at that stage of illness.

7. How many people have died from AIDS? Since the first cases of AIDS were identified in 1981, more than 30 million people have died from AIDS. An estimated 1.8 million people died as a result of AIDS in 2009 alone. Although there is no cure for AIDS, HIV infection can be prevented, and those living with HIV can take antiretroviral drugs to prevent or delay the onset of AIDS.

10. One in four people infected with HIV suffer from neurological complications, new Canadian research reveals. And those that do have such problems harbor double the risk of dying compared with HIV patients who are not plagued with neurological diseases A new study shows that HIV-positive babies with stabilized infections "will do just fine switching to a regime of nevirapine, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor," from a more expensive protease inhibitor

11. People with HIV can reduce the risk of infecting their sex partners by more than 90 percent if they start treatment with antiretroviral drugs when their immune system is still relatively healthy, researchers announced Thursday. The study, which included 1,763 mostly heterosexual couples. Stroke rates have increased among people with HIV in recent years while declining in the U.S. population at large, new research shows, raising the possibility that treatments for the AIDS-causing virus may put these patients at higher risk for cardiovascular trouble. There’s no direct proof linking the medications to the higher stroke rate.

12. People with HIV infection should be under the care of a physician who is experienced in treating the infection. All people with HIV should be counseled about avoiding the spread of the disease. Infected individuals are also educated about the disease process, and attempts are made to improve the quality of their life.

13. Medications have extended the average life expectancy, and many people with HIV can expect to live for decades with proper treatment. An increasing number have a normal life expectancy if they adhere carefully to medication regimens. Medications help the immune system recover and fight infections and prevent cancers from occurring. Eventually, the virus may become resistant to the available drugs, and the manifestations of AIDS may develop.

14. Drugs used to treat HIV and AIDS do not eliminate the infection. It is important for the person to remember that he or she is still contagious even when receiving effective treatment. Intensive research efforts are being focused on developing new and better treatments. Although currently there is no promising vaccine, work continues on this front.

15. Globally, 85% of HIV transmission is through heterosexual intercourse. In the United States, approximately one-third of new diagnoses appear to be related to heterosexual transmission. Male-to-male sexual contact still accounts for more than half of new diagnoses in the U.S.

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