Therefore, many conditions can be mistaken
for HIV/AIDS, including: Cancer, especially lymphoma (causing malnutrition or
weight loss) Senile dementia Gastrointestinal infection (especially parasitic)
Colitis Inflammatory bowel disease Depression. Causes The human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) causes AIDS. HIV not only attacks and destroys the white blood cells
that are key to fighting infection (T4 or helper T cells), it actually uses the
T cell's genetic material to multiply itself. Eventually, HIV cripples the
immune system, making the infected person vulnerable to multiple infections,
diseases, and nervous system problems. One of the reasons AIDS is such a fatal
disease is that HIV is an extremely resistant virus, mutating constantly to
survive the immune system's attacks.(San Fransisco Aids found.) Theoretical
Causes There are very rare cases of transmission among family members living
together with no identifiable source of transmission. No one knows the cause of
transmission in these few rare cases.(Gay mens health crisis center) How is HIV
Transmitted? Unprotected sex,Sharing of hypodermic needles for injection,drug
use From an HIV-infected mother to her baby,especially as the baby passes
through the birth canal (the baby has a 25-30% chance of being HIV positive if
not treated duringpregnancy),Human breast milk Accidental needle sticks, which
are a risk among HealthCare workers (about a one in 300 chance),Blood
transfusion and coagulation products (although this is very rare, with the
modern blood-screening systems in use since 1985)(Bennet-96) Treatment No one
knows how to cure HIV or AIDS. However, there are many therapies, both
conventional and alternative, that effectively prolong and enhance the quality
of the lives of people with HIV and AIDS. The goals of treatment are to: Slow
the replication rate of HIV Prevent and treat opportunistic infections Relieve
symptoms and generally improve quality of life.(Noble-96) Treatment overview If
you have HIV/AIDS, the standard of care in the United States is to provide you
conventional drug therapies, especially if your T-cell count has fallen below
500. You will take most HIV/AIDS drugs in combination, to most effectively
reduce viral blood levels, increase helper T-cell counts, and decrease the AIDS
death rate.
Because combinations of HIV/AIDS drugs are as important as the
individual drugs themselves, it is extremely important that you stick to your
medication regimen: Take drugs at exactly the prescribed times of day Never skip
doses Never skip drugs For surveillance and routine management, you won't need
to stay in the hospital. Some more severe complications will require a hospital
stay. Drug Therapy Anti-HIV drug therapy attacks HIV at various stages of its
life cycle. Although the drugs have improved the side effects, including nausea,
stomach cramps, diarrhea and abnormal body fat redistribution.(Hardman-96)
Bibliography
American Foundation for AIDS Research 120 Wall Street, Thirteenth Floor New
York, NY 10005 Phone: 212-806-1600 Fax: 212-806-1601 The Body -- An AIDS and HIV
Information Resource Centers for Disease Control National Prevention Information
Network P.O. Box 6003 Rockville, MD 20849 Phone: 800-458-5231 International:
301-562-1098 TTY: 800-243-7012 Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation 2950
31st Street, Suite 125 Santa Monica, CA 90405 Phone: 310-314-1459 Fax:
31-314-1469 Email: info@pediaids.org Gay Men's Health Crisis 119 West 24th
Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10011 Phone: 212-807-6655 TTY: 212-645-7470 Fax:
212-337-3656 HIV Anonymous Testing & Counseling Howard Brown Health Center 4025
N. Sheridan Road Chicago, IL 60613 Phone: 773-388-1600 HIV Insite -- Gateway to
AIDS Knowledge University of California, San Francisco HIV Positive.com Centers
for Disease Control National HIV/AIDS Hotline 800-342-AIDS (2437) San Francisco
AIDS Foundation P.O. Box 426182 San Francisco, CA 94142-6182 AIDS Hotline:
800-367-AIDS (2437) (toll-free in Calif.) Phone: (415) 487-3000 Email: feedback@sfaf.org
Books Balch, James F. and Balch, Phyllis A. Prescription for Nutritional Healing
Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing, 1997. Bennett, J. Claude and Plum, Fred.
Cecil Textbook of Medicine, eds. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, 1996. Berkow,
Robert. Merck Manual of Medical Information, Home Edition. New Jersey: Merck
Research Laboratories, 1997. Fauci, Anthony J. et. al. Harrison's Principles of
Internal Medicine, eds. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998. Hardman, Joel G. and
Limbird, Lee E. Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics
eds. New York: McGraw Hill, 1996. Hurst, J. Willis. Medicine for the Practicing
Physician Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange 1996. Murray, Michael T. Encyclopedia
of Natural Medicine. Prima, 1998. Noble, John. Primary Care Medicine ed. St.
Louis: Mosby, 1996. Physicians' Desk Reference. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics
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