|
|
|
AIDS does not immediately occur after infection with HIV. The incubation time may last ten years before an infected patient is clinically diagnosed with AIDS. This is characterized by a helper T cell (CD4+) count below 200 cells/ml.
After infection with HIV, the body's T cell counts dip, while the virus loads increase. Soon thereafter, the T cell counts slightly rebound and the levels of circulating virus dramatically drop. At this stage of clinical latency, CD4+ T cells progressively decline in number. The infected patient possesses no symptoms and cannot be distinguished from healthy individuals without blood tests performed.
After an average of ten years in clinical latency, the CD4+ T cells drop below a threshold and the patient is declared to have AIDS. This occurs regardless of symptoms expressed. Virus levels rebound and patient prognosis eventually leads to death.
|
|
The early forms of treatment included AZT, a drug that inhibits the action of a viral enzyme called reverse transcriptase. Increased drug resistance has led to alternative therapies against HIV.
The most popular form of therapy nowadays is HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy), which is a combination of antiviral drugs that target different viral enzymes implicated in the HIV replication cycle. HAART has been demonstrated to reduce viral burden below levels of detection by conventional methods. Unfortunately, studies have also revealed that interruption of therapy results in a return of previous plasma viral levels. This indicates that current treatment methodologies are not yet able to clear HIV from the body, but to suppress its replication.
|
|
As the name implies, the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a disease that involves a compromised immune system. This disease is acquired through infected bodily fluids, commonly through sexual or intravenous (IV) transmission. The immune deficiency leads to an increased susceptibility to secondary infections. The virus that causes AIDS is HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).
|
|