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AIDS Notes
AIDS is a VIRUS!!!
1. A-Acquired
I-immune
D-deficiency
S-syndrome
2. H-human
I-immunodeficiency
V-virus
Difference between AIDS and HIV
HIV-virus in blood
AIDS-contracting the serious illness
you get when your immune system
can no longer fight off infections
3. How Transmitted
a.
b.
c.
d.
Blood exposure / blood transfusion
IV drug use
unprotected sex (vaginal secretions and semen)
mother to unborn child
4. Symptoms (SIGNALS)
S- symptoms persist longer than two months
I- Infections can be similar to other diseases
(diarrhea, fatigue, fever, chills, wt. loss,
night sweats, persistent dry cough,
shortness of breath)
G- Glands swollen
N- No symptoms in high risk person may present
danger.
A- Affects brain tissue and response (dementia)
L- lethal opportunistic diseases
S- Severity
5. Risky Behaviors:
a. Multiple partners
b. Unprotected sexual activity
c. Sharing needles/syringes
d. Drinking alcohol/doing drugs
e. Exposure to blood, vaginal secretions, semen
6. You CAN’T Get AIDS From:
a. Drinking Fountains
b. Toilet seats, swimming pools, hot tubs
c. mosquito bites, etc.
7. Prevention:
Sexual activity .
1. Abstain or postpone _____________
Multiple
2. Avoid ___________ sexual partners
condom
3. Use __________
during sexual activity
(latex condom with _nonoxynol 9)
intravenous
4. Avoid use of ___________(IV) drugs
5. Limit exposure to blood, vaginal secretions, or semen
(if someone is confirmed HIV positive, recommended
to limit exposure to vomit, urine, etc too.
8.How Does HIV Affect the Immune
System?
HIV attacks the helper T cells so it can’t
warn the body of germ that has entered. It
attaches to the T cell itself and reproduces
inside it. When T cell is full of virus, it
explodes and virus moves on to other T cells.
Eventually too many cells are affected and
diseases occur
HIV is really good at mutating, so it stays
ahead of the immune system
What Do People With AIDS Die from?
Opportunistic diseases, which wouldn’t bother
us if immune system is working properly
People with AIDS often die from these diseases
• Pneumocystis pneumonia-rare form of
pneumonia that affects the lungs
•
Kaposi’s sarcoma-rare skin cancer that
causes purplish blotches on the skin
10. How Do You Get Tested?
Antibody Tests: The most common HIV tests look for HIV antibodies in your
body, rather than looking for HIV itself:
--Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) tests use blood, oral fluid, or urine to detect HIV
antibodies. Results for these tests can take up to two weeks.
--Rapid HIV antibody tests also use blood, oral fluid, or urine to detect HIV
antibodies. Results for these tests can take 10–20 minutes.
If you get a positive result from either of these tests, you will need to take
another test, called a Western blot test, to confirm that result. It can take up to
two weeks to confirm a positive result.
Antigen Tests
These tests are not as common as antibody tests, but they can be used to
diagnose HIV infection earlier—from 1-3 weeks after you are first infected with
HIV. Antigen tests require a blood sample.
PCR Test (Polymerase chain reaction test)
This test detects the genetic material of HIV itself, and can identify HIV in the
blood within 2-3 weeks of infection.
Babies born to HIV-positive mothers are tested with a special PCR test
Blood supplies in most developed countries are screened for HIV
using PCR tests.
PCR tests are also used to measure viral loads for people who are
HIV-positive.
Home testing kits are HIV antibody tests that you can take in the
privacy of your own home. This is not a true HIV testing kit, but a
sample-collection kit. You collect a sample of your blood by sticking
your finger with a sterile lancet, put the blood on a special
collection card in the kit, and send it back to laboratory for testing.
At a later date, you call the lab for your results.
(from AIDS.gov)
11.Treating HIV and AIDS
slow
a. Drugs are given to try to _________
the rate at
reproduces
which HIV
_____________
itself.
b. Drugs are also available to boost the
immune system so the person will
White blood cells
make more ________________.
c. Flu/Pneumonia vaccines are given to
try to keep patient as healthy
as possible.
d. Pentamidine is also given to try to
avoid pneumonia.
e. The most common drugs used currently with HIV/AIDs
patients are AZT
_____ and _drug cocktail________.
Why Can’t We Use Antibiotics with HIV?
Antibiotics are used to kill bacteria and HIV is a virus,
so antibiotics can’t kill the HIV virus.