AIDS

Disease information

AIDS

AIDS.

S. I. D. A. are the abbreviations of SYNDROME OF ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY: an infection by virus that causes a complete failure of the immunological system of the body.

Due to this virus, the immunological system (that includes the lymphocytes of the blood, the spinal marrow, the liver and the lymphatic glands) cannot produce antibodies that protect the organism against the infections and the cancer.

The virus that causes it is the Virus of Human Immunodeficiency or VIH (also HIV; of English) of that there are two main types, 1 and 2, and multitude of variants.

At the present time one calculates that 30 - 40 million people are infected anywhere in the world.

It is the cause commonest of death in the western world in men of 25 to 44 years.

Causes.

Infection of virus VIH transmitted by:

Sexual relations without protection.

Use of needles or contaminated injections.

Contact with blood or derivatives contaminated.

Transmission mother - son.

The AIDS is not transmitted by accidental contact (to occur the hand, a kiss, etc. It is necessary an intimate contact or a contact with contaminated fluids (serum, blood, etc.

The carrying person of virus VIH IS NOT a RISK FOR the GENERAL POPULATION.

Signs and symptoms.

The initial infection can not produce symptoms, or a picture like the influenza, that lasts one week and usually it is not related to the disease. Later it passes a period of months in which some is no symptom, and the tests to detect the infection are negative, since months in becoming take positive, not being able to assure his result until about six months after the suspicious contact.

In the following phase, of primary infection, already the analytical tests have been positivado, detecting the antibodies in the blood.

The third phase is a more or less inactive and prolonged phase. The patient is well, but already she has the infection, that is advancing inexorably. In this stage, the medication is effective to reduce the viral load and to delay the appearance of the AIDS.

Phases fourth and villa: they are the beginning of the AIDS. The immunological defenses already are too much debilitated to protect the organism. The virus also attacks the nervous cells and appear:

Recurrent fatigue, loss of weight, infections (respiratory, of the digestive apparatus, the skin, etc. that respond bad or they do not respond to the conventional treatments.

Inflamed fever, lymphatic ganglia, buccal increase as large as bazo, diarrea, ulcers and opportunistic infections by agents (virus, bacteria or fungi) who usually do not cause diseases in the healthy people.

Factors of risk.

Manifold even masculine homosexuals.

Manifold even heterosexual.

Exhibition of the workers of hospital, aids from laboratory to blood and other fluids of VIH patients.

Pinchazos with infected needles.

Children born of positive mother VIH.

Intravenous drug addiction.

Transfusions before 1985, when the tests settled down to discard it in the blood donation points.

Prevention.

To avoid sexual contact with affected people, or known drug users intravenous.

The sexual activity will have to be restricted to pairs of the well - known sexual history.

To use you reduce for the vaginal and anal penetration.

To avoid the sexual relations when they are had wounded or infections in the parts pudendas (penis, vagina and vaginal introito)

To avoid intravenous drug self administration.

Not to share syringes. Not to use syringes without sterilizing.

To avoid transfusions of nonregistered blood.

Diagnosis and treatment.

The analytical tests can not give positive up to 6 months after the contact.

The precocious diagnosis is very recommendable.

General Measures.

To avoid to expose itself to infections.

To avoid conducts of risk for the others.

Psicoterápico treatment or medical advice to avoid the produced depression to suffer the disease.

To contact immediately the groups of aid of the AIDS.

To treat any infection or complication.

To hospitalize if there are serious complications.

Medication.

Until the moment the infection does not have cures, but there is control of the same and medication that it avoids that the disease progresses.

The present treatments, that combine three or more antiviral medicines, like zidovudina, inhibitors of the protease and inhibitors nucleósidos of transcriptasa inverse are not able to delay or to slow down the advance of the disease.

Activity.

Exercise must be made daily.

Diet.

To maintain an feeding optimal.

To avoid nonpasteurizada milk or potentially contaminated foods.

Complications.

Serious infections in organic systems by opportunistic germs: Neumocistitis, Toxoplasmosis, Citomegalovirus, Candida albicans, Tuberculoses, etc. are most common.

The cancer of skin (Sarcoma de Karposi) and linfomas (cancer of the lymphatic cells) are frequent.

Also the encefalopatía and the meningitis by the VIH.

Prognosis.

It is a incurable disease. Nevertheless the symptoms can be reduced and the disease can that is not developed with the suitable medication, in 5 to 15 years, after giving to positive virus VIH.

There is a population group (the slow progresores) that by a congenital deficiency is resistant to the infection, not developing it or evolving very slowly.

Once it appears the AIDS, the average time of survival is of two years and average; although the new treatments improve year after year this statistic.

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