aids…

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tuberculosis, in the lung, kaposi's sarcoma, lesion on the foot, aids, stds, ecological niches, hiv, primary hiv infection, canker sore, aphthous ulcer, mycobacterium marinum infection on the hand, dermatitis, seborrheic, close-up, dermatitis, seborrheic on the face, histoplasmosis, disseminated in hiv patient, molluscum on the chest, kaposi's sarcoma on the back, kaposi's sarcoma, close-up, kaposi's sarcoma on the thigh, kaposi's sarcoma, perianal, molluscum contagiosum on the face, herpes zoster, shingles, disseminated, antibodies, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, aids, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, the final, most serious stage of hiv disease, severe damage, immune system, according, centers, disease control, prevention, aids begins, hiv infection has a cd4 cell count below 200, cd4, "t-cell", a type of immune cell, aids is also defined by numerous opportunistic infections, cancers that occur, hiv infection, aids, fifth leading cause of death among persons between ages 25, 44, 47 million people worldwide have been infected, hiv, the start, the epidemic, human immunodeficiency virus, hiv, aids, virus attacks the immune system, leaves the body vulnerable, to a variety of life-threatening infections, cancers, common bacteria, yeast, parasites, viruses that ordinarily, not cause serious disease, fully functional immune systems, cause fatal illnesses, aids, hiv has been found in saliva, tears, nervous system tissue, blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, vaginal fluid, breast milk, blood, semen, vaginal secretions, breast milk have been proven to transmit infection to others, transmission, the virus occurs, sexual contact, oral, vaginal, anal sex, blood, via blood transfusions, extremely rare, needle sharing, from mother to child, a pregnant woman, transmit the virus to her fetus, shared blood circulation, a nursing mother, transmit it to her baby in her milk, other transmission methods, rare, accidental needle injury, artificial insemination, donated semen, a donated organ, hiv infection is not spread by casual contact hugging, by touching items previously touched by a person infected, the virus, participation in sports, by mosquitoes, not transmitted to a person who donates blood, organs, who donate organs, not in direct contact, who receive them, likewise, a person who donates blood is not in contact, the person receiving it, in all these procedures, sterile needles, instruments, hiv, transmitted to a person receiving blood, organs, infected donor, why blood banks, organ donor programs screen donors, blood, tissues thoroughly, at highest risk include persons engaging in unprotected sex, sexual partners of those who participate in high-risk activities, anal sex, intravenous drug users who share needles, infants born to mothers, hiv, people who received blood transfusions, clotting products between 1977, 1985, prior to standard screening, the virus, in the blood, aids begins, hiv infection, people infected, hiv, have no symptoms, ten years, longer, still transmit the infection to others, symptom-free period, mean, infection is not detected, immune system gradually weakens, aids develops, acute hiv infection progresses over time to asymptomatic hiv infection, to early symptomatic hiv infection, progresses to aids, very advanced hiv infection, t-cell count below 200, most individuals infected, hiv, not treated, develop aids, small group of patients who develop aids very slowly, never at, patients, non-progressors, genetic difference which prevents the virus from attaching to certain immune receptors, symptoms of aids, primarily the result of infections that, develop in individuals, healthy immune systems, opportunistic infections, patients, aids have had immune system depleted by hiv, very susceptible to such opportunistic infections, common symptoms, fevers, sweats, particularly at night, swollen glands, chills, weakness, weight loss, the signs, tests section below, list of common opportunistic infections, major symptoms associated, initial infection, produce no symptoms, hiv infection remain, years between the time of exposure, development of aids, develop what feels, flu, two weeks after contracting the virus, list of aids-related infections, cancers that people, aids acquire, cd4 count decreases, previously, having aids was defined by having hiv infection, acquiring one of these additional diseases, defined, a cd4 count below 200, many other illnesses, corresponding symptoms, develop, listed here, common, cd4 count below 350/ml, herpes simplex virus, ulcers, in the mouth, genitals, occurring more frequently, severely than previously, tuberculosis, infection by the tuberculosis bacteria that predominately affects the lungs, oral, vaginal thrush, yeast infection, the mouth, genitals, herpes zoster, ulcers over a discrete patch of skin, virus, non-hodgkins lymphoma, cancer, the lymph glands, cd4 count below 200/ml, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, "pcp pneumonia", candida esophagitis, painful yeast infection, the esophagus, cd4 count below 100/ml, cryptococcal meningitis, infection, the brain by this fungus, aids dementia, worsening, slowing of mental function, hiv, toxoplasmosis encephalitis, infection, the brain by this parasite, is frequently found in cat feces, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a viral disease, the brain, a virus, the jc virus, quick decline in cognitive, motor functions, wasting syndrome, extreme weight loss, anorexia, hiv, cd4 count below 50/ml, mycobacterium avium, a blood infection by a bacterium related to tuberculosis, cytomegalovirus infection, a viral infection, affect any organ system, the eyes, cd4 lymphocyte count, chest x-rays, pap smears, tests, useful in managing hiv disease, persons who engage in receptive anal sex, wish to consider anal pap smears to detect potential cancers, no cure, aids at this time, several treatments, delay the progression, of disease, many years, improve the quality of life of those, developed symptoms, antiviral therapy suppresses the replication, the hiv virus, of several antiretroviral agents, termed highly active anti-retroviral therapy, haart, has been highly effective in reducing the number of hiv particles, in the blood stream, measured by a blood test, the viral load, help the immune system bounce back, improve t-cell counts, this is not a cure, hiv, people on haart, suppressed levels of hiv, still transmit the virus to others, sex, sharing of needles, treatment shows great promise, good evidence that levels of hiv remain suppressed, cd4 count remains high, above 200, quality of life, significantly prolonged, improved, hiv tends to, become resistant in patients who, not take medications on schedule every day, certain strains of hiv mutate, become resistant to haart especially quickly, genetic tests, whether a particular strain is resistant to a particular drug, useful in determining the best drug combination, adjusting it, it starts to fail, hiv becomes resistant to haart, salvage therapy is required to try to suppress the resistant strain of hiv, different combinations of medications, try to reduce viral load, not successful, unfortunately, develop aids, its complications, haart, complications, haart, collection of different medications, each, its own side effect profile, common side effects, nausea, headache, weakness, malaise, fat accumulation on the back, abdomen, "buffalo hump", lipodystrophy, used long-term, medications, increase the risk of heart attack by affecting fat metabolism, doctor prescribing haart should follow the patient, side effects associated, the combination, of medications taken, routine blood tests measuring cd4 counts, hiv viral load, a blood test that measures how much virus, in the blood, taken every three to four months, goal, get the cd4 count, close to normal, to suppress the hiv viral load to an undetectable level, antiviral agents, in investigational stages, many new drugs, in the pipeline, growth factors that stimulate cell growth, epogen, erthythropoetin, g-csf, treat anemia, low white blood cell counts associated, aids, medications, prevent opportunistic infections, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, keep aids patients healthier, longer periods of time, opportunistic infections, they occur, joining support groups where members share common experiences, help the emotional stress of devastating illnesses, aids, support group, present time, no cure, aids, has proven to be a universally fatal illness, most patients survive many years following diagnosis, the availability, the haart treatment, haart has dramatically increased the time from diagnosis to death, research continues in drug treatments, vaccine development, a patient is infected, hiv, virus slowly begins to destroy that patient's immune system, how fast this occurs differs in each individual, haart, halt the destruction, the immune system, once the immune system is severely damaged, patient is said to have developed aids, susceptible to infections, cancers that most healthy adults would not get, have any, the risk factors, hiv infection, symptoms of aids, by law, aids testing must be kept confidential, review results of testing, seem personally restrictive, save life, the article on safe sex to learn how to reduce the chance of acquiring, spreading hiv, sexually transmitted diseases, not use intravenous drugs, iv drugs, not share needles, syringes, many communities now have needle exchange programs where used syringes, disposed of, sterile needles obtained, free, programs, provide referrals to addiction treatment, avoid contacting blood from injuries, nosebleeds, hiv status, the bleeding individual, protective clothing, masks, goggles appropriate, caring, injured, anyone who tests positive, hiv, pass the disease on to others, should not donate blood, plasma, body organs, sperm, an infected person should warn any prospective sexual partner of hiv-positive status, should not exchange body fluids, sexual activity, must use whatever preventative measures, condoms, afford the partner the most protection, hiv-positive women who wish to, become pregnant should seek counseling, the risk to unborn children, medical advances, prevent the fetus from becoming infected, use of certain medications, dramatically reduce the chances that the baby, become infected, pregnancy, mothers who, hiv-positive should not breast feed babies, safe-sex practices, latex condoms, highly effective in preventing hiv transmission, remains a risk of acquiring the infection, the use of condoms, abstinence, sure way, prevent sexual transmission of hiv, riskiest sexual behavior is unprotected receptive anal intercourse, the least risky sexual behavior is receiving oral sex, performing oral sex on a man is associated, risk of hiv transmission, less risky than unprotected vaginal intercourse, female-to-male transmission, the virus is much less likely than male-to-female transmission, performing oral sex on a woman who, does not have her period carries low risk of transmission, hiv-positive patients who, taking anti-retroviral medications, less likely to transmit the virus, pregnant women who, on treatment, time of delivery transmit hiv, infant, 5%, the time, compared to approximately 20%, medications, not used, blood supply is among the safest, in the world, nearly all people infected, hiv, blood transfusions received those transfusions, 1985, year hiv testing began, all donated blood, currently, risk of infection, hiv, receiving a blood transfusion, blood products is extremely low, has, become progressively lower, in geographic areas, high hiv prevalence, believe have been exposed to hiv, seek medical attention, evidence that an immediate course of anti-viral drugs, reduce the chances, infected, post-exposure prophylaxis, pep, has been, treat health care workers injured by needlesticks, less information on the effectiveness of pep, people exposed via sexual activity, intravenous drug use, believe have been exposed, should discuss the possibility, a knowledgeable specialist, check local aids organizations, the latest information, all rape victims, offered pep, should consider its potential risks, benefits in particular case.