HIV Flashcards
Stages and Sysmptoms of HIV - 1. Acute HIV infection
-Most people infected with HIV experiencea short, flu-like illness that occurs 2-6weeks after infection (Stage 1 infection)
Common symptoms:
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Rash
- Tiredness
- Joint pain
- Muscle pain
- Swollen glands
- The symptoms usually last 1-2 weeks, but can be longer
Stages and Sysmptoms of HIV - 2. Chronic HIV infection
- After the acute stage, HIV may not cause anysymptoms for several years
- This process can vary from person to person, but may take up to 10 years, during which the patient will feel and appear well
CDC symptom guide for advanced HIV infection
- rapid weight loss
- dry cough
- recurring fever/ night sweats
- profound and unexplained fatigue
- swollen lymph glands
- chronic diarrhoea
- pneumonia
- blotches on skin, mouth, nose, eyelids
- memory loss, depression, other neurological
Stages and Sysmptoms of HIV - Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
-AIDS is the term used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when the immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus
- These include opportunistic infections and infection-related cancers
Dignosis of AIDs
-CD4 count of <200 cells/mm3
-Presence of certain opportunistic infections, e.g.
- Bacterial: Tuberculosis
- Fungal: Candidiasis
- Viral: HSV
- Parasitic: Toxoplasmosis
Molecular biology of HIV
- HIV is a retrovirus
- Its genome is carried on two copies of RNA
- These get reverse transcribed to DNA inside the infected cell
- HIV hijacks the machinery of the infected cell and incorporates its genome into the DNA of the infected cell
- HIV infects and kills CD4 cells (T helper/helper T cells/lymphocytes)
- These are important cells in our immune system
The HIV replication cycle
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Current drugs licensed for treatment.
- Fusion inhibitors
- Entry inhibitors
- Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
- Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
- HIV integrase strand transfer inhibitors
- Protease inhibitors
- Fusion inhibitors
Enfuviritide (Fuzeon)
- Biomimetic peptide
- Binds to a viral surface envelope glycoprotein (gp41)
- Prevents HIV from binding to the surface of CD4 lymphocytes (T helper cells)
- Given by subcutaneous injection, 90 mg bd
- High cost (approx. $25000 per annum)
- Useful only when patient does not respond to other antiretrovirals
- Entry inhibitors
Maraviroc (Selzentry/Celsentri)
- Potent, orally bioavailable and selective
- Antagonist for chemokine coreceptor 5 (CCR5)
- This blocks the binding of another viral envelope glycoprotein, gp120, to CCR5
- Thereby preventing fusion of the two membranes and stopping viral entry into the cell
- Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
Drugs acting on Reverse Transcriptase
- “Fake” building blocks of normal nucleosides used to make DNA
- Act as competitive substrates for reverse transcriptase
- Become incorporated into proviral DNA
- Malformed DNA transcript containing nucleoside analogues cannot be integrated into the host cell genome
Necloside analogues
- zidovudine - Retrovir (AZT, ZDV)
- emtricitabine – Emtriva (FTC)
- didanosine - Videx, Videx EC (ddI)
- zalcitabine - HIVID (ddC)
- stavudine - Zerit (d4T)
- lamivudine - Epivir (3TC)
- abacavir - Ziagen (ABC)
nucleotide analogue
tenofovir - Viread (TDF)
Prodrugs of tenofovir
- Tenofovir disoproxil (TDF)
- Tenofovir alfenamide (TAF)
Drugs acting on Reverse Transcriptase
3. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
Zidovudine – Retrovir (AZT, ZDV)
- Thymidine analogue
- First HIV drug approved, first NRTI, 1987
- Treatment of HIV infection when CD4 cell count is <500/mm3 or symptomatic
- Also approved for use in HIV-infected pregnant women in 2nd and 3rd trimesters, along with IV ZDV during labour and delivery, and ZDV syrup to newborn for 6 weeks
- Toxicity issues – neutropenia, anaemia, leucopoenia
Drugs acting on Reverse Transcriptase
3. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
Mainly undergo renal excretion, with the exception of:
- Zidovudine (AZT) which undergoes glucuronidation
- Abacavir metabolised by alcohol dehydrogenase
Do not have P450 drug interactions
- Limited food restrictions, except for: Didanosine – take on empty stomach (+/- 2hrs)
Drugs acting on Reverse Transcriptase
3. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) Adverse affects
- Lactic acidosis (inadequate clearance of lactic acid from blood by liver)
- Hepatic steatosis (fatty liver)
- Rare but potentially fatal complication