HIV & Nervous System - Nicholas Flashcards
What is HIV?
Retrovirus - RNA virus; posessing reverse transcriptase
What is HIV able to integrate?
Host genome, where it may appear dormant
What are the cell types that HIV infects?
CD4+ (T-helper cells)
Cells lacking CD4 receptor
What allows development of resistance?
Rapid replication with many errors with RNA transcription
What is HIV?
Virally encoded proteins associated with toxicity
What are the transmission of HIV?
- Vertically
- Sexually
- iv DU [Blood products that havent been screened for HIV]
What is the natural history of HIV infection untreated?
Following an infection, there is an initial fall in CD4 cell counts during acute seroconversion, levels recover to gradually fall off over time
What is the problem with HIV/AIDS?
There is long period of clinical latency where patients can be entirely fit and well but are very infectious towards other people
What happens when the CD4 count stops dropping below 300?
Immune system becomes compromised
-
What are the first symptoms of HIV?
Constitutional
- Weight loss
- Not feeling quite right
- tired
When do patients suffer opportunistic diseases?
When the immune system becomes profoundly impaired
What are the natural history of HIV infection?
- Primary Infection
- Acute HIV syndrome - wide dissemination of virus seeding of lymphoid organs
- Clinical latency
- Constitutional symptoms
- Opportunistic diseases
- Death
Where is the burden of HIV situated in?
Sub-saharan Africa
- Zimbabwe
- South Africa
What is England HIV Data 2016?
- 89,400 estimated infected
- 11% thought to be unaware
- 5164 new diagnoses in 2016
- 42% at diagnosis have CD4 count < 350 cells; 25% < 200
- 95% sexual transmission; 45% heterosexual
- ~ 7,500 seek care at C&W
What is AIDS?
HIV infections where you are profoundly immunosuppressed and have a complication
What arrived in the mid 1990’s?
Anti-retroviral medicaitons
Where do different drugs act?
Different stages of the virus life cycle
What was the first range of drugs?
Drugs that specifically inhibited the reverse transciption
Enzyme that turn viral RNA to viral DNA
What was the second range of drugs?
Protease inhibitors that stopped the assembly of virally encoded proteins
What was the third range of drugs?
Integrase inhibitor which are drugs that stop reverse transcribed DNA being inserted into the human genome
What did the early drugs have?
Very significant toxicity causing peripheral nerve damage being really intolerable causing changes in metabolism, changes in fat distribution