Describing HIV Flashcards
What is HIV?
Human immunodeficiency virus
Attacks and destroys CD4+ immune cells (white blood cells)
What is AIDS?
Acquired immuno deficiency syndrome
Caused by HIV virus, when HIV destroys immune system
What happens when HIV is infected?
Body tries to fight the infection and make antibodies
But then CD4 cells (helper T cells) cannot fight off HIV
Healthy people have 500-1500 of these cells in a milliliter of blood
What happens when these cells are destroyed?
Symptoms may or may not appear a few weeks
May have fevers, headache, sore muscles and joints, stomach ache, swollen lymph nodes, skin rash
What are other symptoms?
Night sweats, diarrhea
What are common opportunistic infections (fungi, bacteria, parasites, and viruses)?
Pneumocystis (pneumoni - lung infect)
Kaposi’s sarcoma (skin cancer)
Cytomegalovirus (eye infection)
Candida (fungal infect in mouth, throat, or vagina)
Other AIDS related symptoms?
Severe weight loss Brain tumors Extreme night sweats Chronic diarrhea Swollen lymph nodes Shaking from a constant chill Continuous fever over 100 degrees
What is the difference between the two?
HIV can spread because it’s a virus
AIDS after HIV can still spread
When does HIV become AIDS?
Immune system is seriously damaged
Less than 200 CD4 cells
When the CD4 percentage so less than 14
You get an opportunistic infection
How can people live with AIDS?
AIDS may die within a few month, some live normal lives, others are healthy without antiretroviral meds
What are the hidden dangers of HIV?
Eight weeks after infection HIV can be detected by test but has been multiplying
Some people stay health and symptom-free but have a damaged immune system and can pass it
