WHEN AIDS SETS IN
It is not possible to say exactly what symptoms and diseases will be associated with HIV-infection in a specific person. Because of the unique way in which HIV attacks and disarms the immune system, all kinds of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viruses and cancers are able to invade the body. That is the reason why we talk about AIDS as a syndrome – a collection of many illnesses and infections.
Cytomegalovirus
When the immune system is compromised (for example, by HIV/AIDS), Cytomegalovirus is activated and can cause infections.
Lymphoma
Lymphomas are cancers that develop in the lymph system, which is part of the body’s immune system. Therefore, people with HIV/AIDS are susceptible to lymphoma.
Molluscum contagiosum
Molluscum contagiosum is a skin infection caused by a pox virus. The infection produces pearly nodules that can occur in clusters anywhere on the body. Although it normally only affects children, among adults with HIV/AIDS, the infection can be extensive.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, is a disease that attacks the brain. It is caused by a virus called JC virus (JCV), which is common among the general population and normally harmless. In people with advanced HIV/AIDS, JCV attacks the myelin sheaths around the nerve and brain cells, and causes lesions in the white matter of the brain.
Shingles
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus (varicella-zoster virus, or VZV).
Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS)
Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a type of malignant tumour of the blood vessels that develops most commonly on the skin and mucous membranes, but may also affect internal organs.
Cryptosporidiosis
One of the opportunistic diseases that can strike down people with HIV/AIDS is Cryptosporidiosis (“crypto”) is caused by a germ called Cryptosporidium parvum.
Candidiasis/Thrush
Candidiasis, also known as “Candida” or “yeast”, is an infection caused by strains of Candida fungi, especially Candida albicans. Candida normally lives harmlessly in the body
Mycobacterium avium complex
Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is caused by a group of environmental bacteria called Mycobacterium avium complex. These bacteria live harmlessly in the bodies of people with healthy immune systems. In persons with advanced HIV, MAC can spread throughout the body and damage tissue.
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP)
Pneumocystis carinii is a fungus that is the most important cause of pneumonia in people with HIV/AIDS.
Sebborheic dermatitis
Seborrheic dermatitis is an inflammatory scaling of the skin. In its milder forms, it is visible as dry, itchy dandruff.
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Humans can contract toxoplasmosis by swallowing organisms from contaminated food or cat faeces.
Resource: Heath24
http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-814-1758.asp
This is a great resource for HIV/AIDS. Answers to questions you should know.Right across the board from coping, nutrition, telling, medications and the effects on the body.
http://www.thebody.com/index.html
There are more than 25 antiretroviral (ARV) medications currently available and numerous potential combinations or treatment regimens. Once you find a treatment regimen that is right for you the tough part begins – making sure it keeps working.
Two major factors that can affect the success of your treatment are adherence and resistance. Adherence refers to how closely you follow your treatment regimen, taking the correct medication at the right time, the right dose and in the right way. Resistance occurs when the virus in your body no longer responds to the medications you are taking.
http://www.tibotec-hiv.com/bgdisplay.jhtml?itemname=adherence_and_resistance
ScienceDaily (Feb. 4, 2011) — Australian scientists have successfully cleared a HIV-like infection from mice by boosting the function of cells vital to the immune response.
A team led by Dr Marc Pellegrini from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute showed that a cell signaling hormone called interleukin-7 (IL-7) reinvigorates the immune response to chronic viral infection, allowing the host to completely clear virus. Their findings were released in the February 3 edition of the journal Cell.
Dr Pellegrini, from the institute’s Infection and Immunity division, said the finding could lead to a cure for chronic viral infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, and bacterial infections such as tuberculosis, which are significant economic and global health burdens.
Current approaches to curing chronic infections tend to focus on generating a long-lived immune response to a specific disease. Dr Pellegrini, working with colleagues Mr Simon Preston and Mr Jesse Toe, and collaborators Professors Pamela Ohashi and Tak Mak from the Ontario Cancer Institute, argues that long-lived immune responses to chronic diseases are not always effective, and has instead concentrated on how the immune response can be manipulated to better fight infection.
“Viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B and C overwhelm the immune system, leading to establishment of chronic infections that are lifelong and incurable,” Dr Pellegrini said. “Despite tremendous efforts, long-lived immune responses for some of these viruses are ineffective, because the body is so overrun by virus that the immune system, in particular T cells, just give up trying to battle the infection. Some people have coined the phrase ‘immune exhaustion’ to explain the phenomenon. Our approach is to discover some of the mechanisms that cause this immune exhaustion, and manipulate host genes to see if we can boost the natural immune response in order to beat infection.”
The team investigated the role of IL-7, a naturally-occurring immune hormone, in a mouse model of HIV infection. IL-7 is a cytokine (cell signalling hormone) that plays a critical role in immune system development and maintenance.
“We found that IL-7 boosted the immune response in a pretty profound fashion, such that animals were able to gradually clear the virus without too much collateral tissue damage,” Dr Pellegrini said.
Further investigations revealed that, at the molecular level, IL-7 switched off a gene called SOCS-3.
“In an overwhelming infection, SOCS-3 becomes highly activated and suppresses the immune response, probably as a natural precaution to prevent ‘out-of-control’ responses that cause collateral damage to body tissue,” Dr Pellegrini said. “In the case of these overwhelming infections, the immune system effectively slams on the brakes too early, and the infection persists.”
Mr Preston, who worked on the SOCS-3 studies, said that switching off the SOCS-3 gene boosted the immune system and helped the animals to completely eliminate the infection.
“The key for us was figuring out that turning off SOCS-3 only really worked when it was within T cells,” Mr Preston said. “It allowed the immune response to boost the number of virus-specific T cells and have an immune response good enough to eliminate the virus without initiating an immune response that was too large and would make the animal sick.”
Dr Pellegrini said the research had provided excellent ideas for new therapies that could target and boost host immune cells to fight disease, rather than targeting the disease itself.
“The findings could help to develop drugs that target some of these host molecules, such as SOCS-3, and turn them off for very short, defined periods of time to reinvigorate the T cells, allowing them to regroup to fight infection,” he said.
This research was supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Canadian Institute for Health and the Cancer Research Institute.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.
Snippet 3
On numerous occasions, chased out of my own home, walking barefoot for 5km on hot tar to safety, ending up with massive blisters under my feet of which I still have the calluses to prove it. The lesson learned here, always wear shoes! Then, would you believe it, married him and stayed in this disastrous marriage for another four years.
Why, there was to be a payoff amongst other things I believed I could transform him but believe me an abuser remains an abuser and will never change unless there is a serious intervention coupled with counselling. Roddy had numerous doctors’ prescribing medication for his moods but never went for counselling. One incident I will share is the time he was watching television in my home when my then seven-year-old son was playing with a rifle type water pistol, squirted Roddy who pulled the gun out of my child’s hands and hit him with it. I was on him like a lion whose cub is in danger and beaten yet again for defending my innocent child.
My first husband and a friend at one point during this undesirable situation arrived on my doorstep, armed and ready to chase him away, fortunately for them all he had already left and the situation was defused.
1. Antiretroviral treatment is a cure for AIDS? Y/N
2. Getting AIDS means you are going to die? Y/N
3. Are Weight loss, diarrhoea, shingles and swollen glands symptoms of HIV? Y/N
4. Is it possible to know that a person is HIV positive if he/she gets tested immediately after exposure to the virus? Y/N
5. Rich/decent people cannot get HIV/AIDS? Y/N
Snippet 2
I went directly to the GP in charge of Blaine, had her immediate superior called up as well as the offending Poison Dwarf, who to this day has only been moved elsewhere as far as I know but where to I have not bothered to find out. At the time however there was a local man that I knew from Pinetown who approached me with the information that in her drunken state and she and her boyfriend are known heavy drinkers, seen by myself on numerous occasions as we frequented the same after hour venues, was telling whoever would listen what mine and *Blaine’s status was. A person who I will call *Doug offered to make an affidavit with details of her disclosure in order for me to pursue. Six years later and numerous polite requests, I am still waiting for *Doug to hold good his promise, even though I managed to deny and convince all and sundry that Blaine only had bowel TB due to contracting the disease through the type of work he did, plumbing, I am not sure that I convinced that many people about him. I do think however that I managed to fool a number of people about myself, although they will on release of this book, say “I knew it all along”, yeah right.
*Real names not used* to be continued……..
I have always joked about writing a book as I have lived in some of the most entertaining environments, known the strangest of people and their antics little realising that I would actually get around to writing a book and not on the subject I had always joked about.
I loathe autobiographies but this is pretty much what this is with a twist, gotcha. So here is the plan, in order to dispel any future rumours, scandal, gossip, misconceptions, speculation, badmouthing, fear, preconceived ideas and last but not least stigma. I don’t think I have left anything out but feel free to add your own colourful words. I will gradually let you into the loop of the body of my book.
Without giving away the entire story I will give brief ongoing snippets and ask for your input should you be willing.
Life consists of basically three things: Relationships, Money and Health. I have had, shall I call it the trauma of all three and would like to hear what your thoughts on these issues are.
Snippet1.
Walk positively, head up shoulders back, face it head on
It is all about you – if you can live with yourself, stuff everyone else. I understand fully that HIV/AIDS is a serious, terminal disease, but it is manageable. So try to keep your sense of humour and:
“Deal With It”. It sounds simple, but for some it will not be, that is why I would like to share the more positive side of my experience.
Keep a positive (many such puns to follow, my apologies upfront) attitude and you will find your attitude nurtures gratitude.
I do not want it to be a feel-sorry-for-me memoir, or a biography, a genre of which I am not a fan. I usually pick one up, read the back, say oh hell no and put it right back on the shelf.
So trust me (no I am not a doctor), this is not a motivational or pity-seeking, nauseating, tear-jerking autobiography. This is just telling it how it is and how I had to deal with “IT”.
I have had the most exciting life possible and have no regrets.
Here is how it all happened. I hope you enjoy my journey as much as I have.
to be continued………..
