HIV and AIDS Flashcards
How is HIV spread?
- Sexual transmission
- Injection drug misuse
- Blood products
- Vertical transmission
- organ transplant
Can you test an unconscious patient for HIV?
Yes - if you think its in their best interest. Negative result doesn’t affect insurance premium
Discuss the immunology behind HIV infection?
HIV infects and destroys immune system cells, esp CD4+ T Helper cells
CD4 receptors also present on macrophages and monocytes, brain cells, skin, and more
What is the natural history of HIV as it progresses?
> CD4 count declines and HIV viral load inc.
Inc risk of infections and tumours
severity of illnesses is greater the lower the CD4 count (normal >500)
most AIDS diagnoses (severe infections) at CD4 count <200
How many clinical stages of HIV is there?
4
Discuss clinical stage I of HIV?
-Asymptomatic, persistent generalised lymphadenopathy (PGL)
|»_space;Performance scale 1: Asymptomatic, normal activity
Discuss clinical stage II symptoms of HIV?
-weight loss (<10%)
-Minor mucocutaneous manifestations (seborrhoeic dermatitis, prurigo, fungal nail infections, recurrent oral ulcerations, angular cheritis)
-Herpes Zoster (in last 5y)
-Recurrent URTI
»and/or performance scale 2: symptomatic, normal activity
Discuss clinical stage III symptoms of HIV?
-Weight loss (>10%)
-Unexplained chronic diarrhoea (>1m)
-unexplained prolonged fever (intermittent or prolonged) >1m
-oral candidiasis
-oral hairy leukoplakia
-Pulmonary TB in last yr
-severe bacterial infections
»and/or performance scale 3: bedridden <50% of day in last month
Discuss clinical stage IV symptoms of HIV?
- HIV toxoplasmosis
- CMV disease of organ other than liver/spleen/LN
- HSV infection
- PML
- Candidiasis incl. oesophague/trachea/bronchii/lungs
- HIV encephalopathy
HIV and AIDS are directly linked in infection. When someone gets a certain infection or tumour is it classified as AIDS illness or HIV illness?
AIDS illness. If no symptoms you have HIV infection only
Name some AIDS-defining conditions
- TB
- Cerebral toxoplasmosis
- PML
- Cryptococcal meningitis
- Kaposi’s sarcoma
- Non-Hodgkins lymphoma
- Cervical cancer
- CMV retinitis
Name conditions when HIV testing should be offered?
- aseptic meningitis/encephalitis
- GBS
- transverse myelitis
- dementia
- leucoencephalopathy
- oral candidiasis
- unknown weight loss
- hep b/c infection
- lung cancer
- seminoma
- hodgkins lymphoma
What is the progression of HIV from initial infection?
>acute infection (seroconversion) >Asymptomatic >HIV related illnesses >AIDS defining illness >death
What are the symptoms of seroconversion (when HIV antibodies first develop)?
- flu-like illness
- fever
- malaise and lethargy
- pharyngitis
- lymphadenopathy
- toxic exanthema
may look like glandular fever but EBV serology negative
How soon does seroconversion present?
2-4 weeks post exposure. 1-2 weeks is self limiting