AIDS

Question 1

What is AIDS?

Answer 1

• AIDS is a syndrome
• A collection of diseases which monopolies on a HIV weakened immune system
• A patient with AIDS has an immune-compromised status and a low T cell count
• The presence of either an opportunistic infection or AIDS related cancer

Question 2

Symptoms of AIDS

Answer 2

• Neurological:
  Encephalitis: inflammation of the brain
  Meningitis
• Eyes: retinitis
• Lungs: Pneumocytis
• Skin: Kaposi’s disease, tumors
• Gastrointestinal: Esophagitis, chronic diarrhea, tumors

Question 3

Opportunistic Infections

Answer 3

► Infections that develop as a result of damage to the immune system
► These infections take advantage of the opportunity provided by a weakened immune system
► Infections tend to appear at predictable stages of immune deterioration
► These are infections that do not normally occur in young healthy people- they only occur when the HIV has destroyed enough CD4 cells to leave the individual vulnerable to these specific OI’s
► Usual case: CD4 count <200

Question 4

What are CD4 Cells?

Answer 4

► Cluster of differentiation 4
► Glycoprotein found on the surface of immune cells such as T helper cells, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells
► CD4 cells are a type of WBC that fight infection (also called T helper cells)
► They are made in the spleen, lymph nodes, and thymus gland, which are part of the lymph/infection fighting system
► CD4 cells move throughout the body helping to identify and destroy germs such as bacteria and viruses
► The CD4 count measures the number of CD4 cells in a sample of blood

Question 5

What is a CD4 count?

Answer 5

► Helps tell how strong the immune system is
► Indicates what stage of HIV disease
► Guides treatment and predicts how disease may progress
► Keeping CD4 count high can reduce complications of HIV disease and extend life
► CD4 counts are reported as the number of cells in a cubic millimeter of blood
§ Normal: 500-1500 cells
► HIV disease is progressing if the CD4 count is going down