AIDS Virus Essay, Research Paper

Will I live to see tomorrow? Is there a hope for the future? These are probably

the most commonly asked questions among AIDS patients today. This paper delves

into the heart of the AIDS topic by giving a detailed definition of the virus,

risk factors associated with transmission, and the best treatment methods

studied by the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health,

and other research organizations. AIDS. The word alone strikes fear into every

sexually active individual. Why is this? The reason is that everyone can relate

to the consequential symptoms of the disease, but not everyone knows the real

meaning of AIDS. AIDS is an acronym for ?Acquired Immunodeficiency

Syndrome.? The Centers for Disease Control defines AIDS as the presence of at

least one of several opportunistic diseases, along with infection by the human

immunodeficiency virus (HIV). An opportunistic disease is described as a disease

that has an opportunity to occur because the immune system has been weakened.

Examples of opportunistic diseases would be Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia,

Kaposi?s sarcoma, or toxoplasmosis. The combination of such diseases, plus

HIV, deplete the complex natural defense system protecting the body from

infection by viruses and microorganisms. The definition of AIDS has also been

expanded to include a CD4+ T cell count less than 200 cells per cubic millimeter

(mm3) of blood. AIDS is characterized by the progressive loss of the CD4+ helper

cell, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight off certain

infections. This cell is also known as the T, T-helper, and T4 cells. The CD4+

cells are white blood cells that stimulate B lymphocytes to produce antibodies,

lead to a severe reduction of functions of the body?s immune system (immunosuppression),

neurological complications, and opportunistic infections that rarely occur in

persons with intact immune function. Although the precise causes leading to the

destruction of the immune system have not been fully discovered, the detailed

studies of epidemiology, virology, and immunology support the conclusion the HIV

is the underlying cause of AIDS; hence HIV invades and destroys the CD4 cells.

Primary HIV infection is often associated with as abrupt decline of CD4 cells in

the peripheral blood. The decrease in circulating CD4 cells during primary

infection is probably due to two factors: 1) depletion by HIV, and 2) to

redirect cells to the lymphoid tissue and other organs. The median period

between the infection of HIV and the onset of clinically apparent disease is

approximately 10 years in western countries, according to prospective studies of

homosexual men. This period also applies to HIV-infected blood transfusion

recipients, injection drug users, and adult hemophiliacs. In 1981, clinical

investigators in New York and California observed among young, previously

healthy, homosexual men a strange clustering of cases of rare diseases, notably

Kaposi?s sarcoma (KS) and opportunistic infections such as Pneumocystis

carinii pneumonia (PCP), as well as cases of unexplained, persistent

lymphadenopathy. It soon became evident that these men had a common immunologic

deficit- the impairment in cell mediated immunity, resulting from a significant

loss of CD4 cells. The widespread development of KS and PCP in young people with

no previous history of disease was unusual. After detailed studies and searches

of autopsy records, medical history books, and tumor recordings, results showed

that KS and PCP had only occurred at very low levels in the United States

previously. KS, Kaposi?s sarcoma, is a skin neoplasm that affected older men,

cancer, or transplant patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. Before AIDS

became a big issue, the only reports of KS in the United States were 0.02 to

0.06 per 100,000 population. In addition, the disease was generally found in

certain parts of Africa among younger individuals. By 1984, men in San Francisco

were found 2,000 times more likely to develop KS! By 1994, at least a whopping

36,693 patients with AIDS had been reported. This shows how fast the spread of

the disease takes place. PCP, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, a lung infection

caused by a pathogen, was extremely rare before 1981. Taken from a survey in

1967, only 107 cases had been reported and documented in medical literature. In

that same year, the Centers for Disease Control became the sole supplier in the

US of pentmidinne isthionate- the only recommended PCP therapy at that time. The

CDC began collecting data on each PCP case diagnosed and treated. In 1981 alone,

42 requests for the drug were received for patient treatment. As an example of

how fast this disease was spread, note the following: the CDC had reported

127,626 individuals with AIDS in the US with a definite diagnosis of PCP! Now

that?s fast! There are most definitely certain risk factors associated with

AIDS. The most common risk behavior in acquiring AIDS is through sexual

intercourse. Today, ninety percent of new infections occur in the developing

world. Widespread poverty seems to stimulate the disease. Poor and disadvantaged

groups tend to be at higher risk for AIDS that others because they have less

access to AIDS info through the media and other channels. In addition, they may

not be able to afford the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or buy

condoms from the store. In general, it is easier for the poor to contract this

disease because they have no education about the risks and causes of the

disease. Another group at high risk for AIDS is women. Today, women account for

forty-two percent of people living with HIV/AIDS. Women are also becoming

infected at younger ages than men are. Women tend to marry older men who have

had more sexual partners and experience, and they are associated with a lower

social economic and social status than men are. Biologically, the risk of HIV

infection during unprotected vaginal intercourse is two to four times higher for

women than men. The reason is that women have a bigger surface area of mucosa

exposed to their partner?s sexual secretions during intercourse. Semen also

contains a higher concentration of HIV than vaginal secretions, and it can stay

in the vagina hours after intercourse. Although anyone who is sexually active is

at risk of exposure to the AIDS, the gay and bisexual community has been most

affected by the disease. Sexual activities among the gay community can be found

all over the world, but little data is available on this subject matter for

sufficient coverage. AIDS is transmitted through the exchange of certain body

fluids. The bottom line is, any type of sexual activity without adequate

protection (condoms) or with multiple partners can put individuals at a

dangerously high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Another form of risk behavior

would be the use of sharing infected drug needles. The use of infected drug

needles and polluted needles are risks that certainly can not be avoided, and

this is a very common method of contraction. Some countries and cities have

places to go to obtain clean needles and to get rid of used ones. Although some

evidence suggests that injection drug use can cause certain immunologic

abnormalities, such as reduction of CD4 cells, this has been shown rare in HIV-seronegative

injection drug users in the absence of other immunosuppressive conditions. Blood

transfusions have been known to transmit HIV during earlier years, but more

precautions have been taken since then to ensure all needles are sterile in an

effort to reduce all possibilities of transmission. Treatments for HIV/AIDS vary

from lab studies and blood analysis, symptom observation, to the more common

drug therapy. Lab studies and blood analysis shows indications of illness well

before the illness becomes apparent, but it is more difficult to act on test

results because the patient often feels fine; hence, patients who feel healthy

are less motivated to begin treatment. Symptom observation is based on the

evidence presented by active interventions and disease processes. In HIV, this

means watching out for such things as thrush, pneumocystis, and Kaposi?s

sarcoma legions. Federal healthcare guidelines now call for including a potent

protease inhibitor as part of combination treatments to fight HIV/AIDS. By

taking the protease inhibitors such as CRIXVAN, AZT (zidovudine), and 3TC, this

can help lower the amount of HIV in your body (called ?viral load?) and

raise your CD4 (T) cell count. Although the drugs are not a cure for HIV or

AIDS, they can help reduce the chance of illnesses and death associated with

HIV. Recent year-long study conducted by the National Institutes of Health

studied over 1,000 patients and confirmed results from another study. A

combination of these drugs have been shown to have reduced the frequency and

severity of opportunistic infections, improved body weight, and increased counts

of CD4 cells in the peripheral blood. Further studies show that drug therapy has

extended patient?s life expectancy by at least 21 months after initiation.

Because HIV/AIDS is a life and death matter, it is crucial to take a

preventative approach once infected. After infection, individuals that have

HIV/AIDS do not get better naturally or by waiting. There is no natural

remission. The purpose of preventative treatment is to buy time and to slow

progression of the disease while researchers seek better treatment methods.

Taking a preventative approach makes it possible to:  Use treatments at

the stage that they are most effective,  Head off serious optic

infections and further damage they do to the immune system, and  Slow

the spread and replication of the virus. Taking the preventative approach

clearly offers hope to those infected with this devastating virus. Research is

rapidly progressing in the HIV/AIDS era. Molecular biologists are interested in

the workings of cells and infectious organisms at the cellular level. The recent

advances and breakthroughs in understanding the mechanisms that bring about

programmed cell death may ultimately explain HIV and AIDS in detail. Currently,

there are no tests that can offer a total picture of immune health. Some

researchers believe that as we manage HIV/AIDS as a chronic illness, testing

will provide guidance about what treatments to use, when to use them, and how

well they are working. In conclusion, HIV and AIDS have been repeatedly linked

in time, place, and population. Individuals as different as homosexuals,

transfusion recipients, injection drug users, and heterosexuals have all

developed AIDS with one common denominator: infection with HIV. We must remember

that AIDS is fatal, and that there is no known cure. The most troubling view is

that individuals will forget about the threat of AIDS and continue to engage in

risky behavior, eternally adding to the global tragedy of this epidemic.