HIV Flashcards
spread of HIV
sexual transmission injection drug misuse blood products vertical transmission (mother to baby) organ transplant
what does HIV do to immune cells
HIV infects and destroys cells of immune system, esp the T-helper cells that are CD4+
what happens over course of HIV infection
CD4 count declines and HIV viral load increases
increasing risk of developing infections + tumours, severity of illnesses is greater the lower the CD4 count
CD4 count normal and HIV
> 500
most AIDs diagnoses occur at CD4 count <200
AIDs defining conditions
TB pneumocystis primary cerebral lymphoma cryptococcal meningitis non-hodgkin's lymphoma cervical cancer
natural history of HIV
acute infection - seroconversion asymptomatic HIV related illness AIDs defining illness death
seroconversion illness
when HIV antibodies first develop
abrupt onset 2-4wks post exposure, self-limiting 1-2wks
seroconversion illness symptoms
flu-like fever malaise + lethargy pharyngitis lymphadenopathy toxic exanthema
antiretrovrial therapy
different classes of drugs acting on different stages in HIV reproductive lifestyle
combination ART (cART) means 2/3 drugs from at least 2 groups
what do reverse transcription inhibitors do
inhibit viral RNA being transcribed to DNA
what do integrase inhibitors do
prevent viral DNA being integrated into host genome
what do protease inhibitors do
prevent maturation of the virus
when is ART strarted
at point of diagnosis, regardless of CD4
why do treatments fail
patient may not take drugs properly, virus in body exposed to low levels of drugs
low levels not high enough to take out virus, instead it mutates and becomes resistant to the antiviral its being exposed too
side effects of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
marrow toxicity
neuropathy
lipodystrophy: central obesity, thin arms and legs
