hiv aids, aids symptoms

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and AIDS which is an acronym for Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome is the disease caused by this virus.

As the name indicates the virus attacks and destroys the immune system in the body with deadly consequences. A body with a weak immune system is like a country with a weak army. The body becomes susceptible to all sorts of infections by micro organisms and also cancer.

Mode of transmission of hiv aids: The most common mode of contracting the infection is sexual contact. As many teenagers are sexually active they are prone to get infected. Children who are victims of sexual abuse may become infected with the virus.

Exposure to contaminated blood or blood products is another way of getting infected. This can occur due to blood transfusion (the risk has been greatly reduced due to routine screening) or from the use of contaminated needles which is common among drug addicts.

Vertical transmission from a mother to her baby can occur either inside the uterus or through breast feeding after delivery.

If HIV infection is detected during pregnancy the risk of transmission to the baby can be decreased by treating with Zidovudine an antiviral drug.

Evolution of hiv aids: Babies who are infected inside the uterus well before delivery will have detectable virus in the blood at the time of birth.

If infection occurs at the time of delivery or through breast milk the babies test negative for the virus at birth but will have detectable virus usually within a month. As the virus goes on replicating in the body the load of viremia increases and reaches a peak before 2 months of age. The body begins to fight back and the viremia slightly comes down thereafter.

Without any treatment about a quarter of there children develop symptoms by about one year and usually die before they reach there years. These children have high viremia and low counts of lymphocytes.

In others probably with stronger immune systems the disease progresses slowly. It is rare for infected children to survive for more than 10 years without treatment.

Symptoms and signs of hiv aids: Non specific symptoms occur after an incubation period of 2-4 weeks and may consist of fever, fatigue, sore throat, enlargement of lymph nodes along with enlargement of liver and spleen.

Many patients may not even seek any medical help at this stage and take some over the counter medicines. Less common manifestation are ulcers in mouth, skin rash, candidal infection of mouth and esophagus. These symptoms usually resolve within about 2 weeks.

Newborn babies with perinatal infection appear normal at birth. They start manifesting non specific symptoms by about one year of age.

Affected children suffer from frequent illness usually recurrent ear infection or sinusitis. Other manifestations are poor weight gain, chronic cough, chronic diarrhea, delayed development, and enlargement of lymph nodes, liver and spleen.

As the virus continues to replicate in the body causing more damage to the immune system the patient suffers from frequent infections which tend to be more severe as disease advances. If such patients contract tuberculosis they suffer from severe forms of tuberculosis which may not respond satisfactorily to regular anti-tubercular drugs.

They are more likely to suffer from severe forms of varicella (chickenpox) and herpes infections. Mouth ulcers occur frequently.

Those microorganisms which normally do not cause any illness in those with normal immune systems can cause disease in patients with hiv aids. Pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis carinii should always arouse suspicion of HIV infection.

Severe forms of candidiasis occur in those with advanced AIDS. Cytomegalovirus infection also tends to be more severe in these patients. Mycobacterium avium complex is another opportunistic pathogen causing sickness in hiv aids patients.

Organisms like rotavirus, cryptosporidium and giardia causing only mild diarrhea in those with normal immune system can cause chronic diarrhea in AIDS patients.

Direct damage to organs: Apart from rendering the body susceptible to many infections the virus is believed to cause direct damage to several organs.

Damage to brain can manifest as microcephely (small head), delay in attaining milestones, lack of coordination of movements and diminished memory. However other treatable causes of nervous system disease should be ruled out.

Cardiomyopathy (abnormality of heart muscle) is seen in some patients. It may progress to heart failure.

Some patients have evidence of liver damage as evidenced by elevation of liver enzymes. Rarely the virus can cause clinical hepatitis manifesting as jaundice. But other causes of hepatitis (drug induced and other types of viral hepatitis) should also be considered.

Malignancy: One of the functions of the immune system is the recognition of cells which have undergone cancerous transformation and destroy those cells. In the absence of effective immune system such cells go on multiplying uncontrollably and lead to cancer.

Cancers commonly associated with HIV infection in children are non-Hodgkimi lymphoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma and cancer of cervix in adolescent girls.

Laboratory findings in HIV AIDS: The initial screening test to diagnose HIV infection is ELISA which stands for enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay. This test detects the antibody to the virus.

It should be noted that this test can be negative before the body produces antibodies. The time taken to produce detectable levels of antibodies may vary from one person to another. Rarely a person may fail to produce antibody altogether.

Occasionally the test can give false positive result which means an individual can test positive even if he does not have HIV infection. Hence another test (western blot) is performed to confirm the diagnosis.

During the period immediately following non-vertical transmission when the test for antibody is negative, tests for detecting the viral antigen may be positive.

Babies born to HIV infected mothers will have detectable antibodies produced in the mother’s body as these cross the placenta. The level of antibodies in the baby gradually comes down and usually by about one and half years there will be no detectable antibodies in the blood of the baby.

Majority of infected babies will not show viral antigen if tested soon after birth. This may be due to very low levels of virus or because transmission took place during delivery. Between 2 and 4 months of age almost all babies will have detectable viral antigen. Hence it is advisable to test babies as risk regularly to rule out infection.

The number of lymphocytes decreases as the disease progresses. The level of one type of lymphocyte known as CD4 lymphocyte is used to categorize patients and assess prognosis.

Some children will have decreased platelets (thrombocytopenia). The level of gamma globulins is increased. The drugs used in the treatment of HIV AIDS can also causes charges in liver and bone marrow functions and cause confusion.

Prevention of AIDS

While scientists are busy developing newer, more powerful drugs to kill the HIV virus and also inventing vaccines to prevent (?) the disease it is time for common man to sit and reflect on why this disease came into existence and why it is spreading in many countries.

It is widely accepted by medical professionals that A I D S is caused by the HIV virus. However a few well known scientist have begun to challenge this view.

If the viral etiology is correct the disease spreads through sexual contact and having multiple partners increases the risk. Thus we can say that AIDS is a life style disease. It is important to keep in mind that condoms do not provide absolute protection against AIDS.

It is indeed worth noting that modern man has lost sight of the true purpose of his life. Today’s average man is no better than an animal spending all his time and energy in satisfying his senses. There is a Sanskrit verse which says that animals also eat, sleep, reproduce and have some fears. Man calls himself civilized because he does the same things which animals do in more sophisticated ways.

It may even be said that today’s average human beings are worse than animals, because animals do not commit so many crimes which human beings do.

The ancient Indian scriptures known as Vedas, which are the oldest in the world proclaimed that man is essentially spiritual in nature and that the ultimate goal of human life is to realize that truth. Later many saints in other countries echoed the same message. All of them exhorted people to do only good and love all equally.

Unfortunately modern man has ignored the spiritual dimension of life and thinks that life is meant only for sensual enjoyment. In order to satisfy his senses he is willing to go to any extent. He goes on yielding to the demands of his senses and mind which never end and makes a mess of his life.

The Bhagavadgita says that a wise man will never get swayed by the likes and dislikes of the senses and mind. It also says that lasting happiness can only be experienced by withdrawing the life force from the senses.

Paramahansa Yogananda explains in his lessons on Kriya Yoga how a man can reverse the flow of electrical impulses in the nerves, prevent the agitations of mind and experience one’s real nature which is joy and love.

The Bible also urges people to seek the kingdom of heaven within. The Bible says be still and know that I am god. Kriya Yoga is the science of stilling the mind.

It is pitiable that modern medicine does not recognize the spiritual dimension of man. Practitioners of modern medicine usually treat a patient without knowing what man is. Quite often commercial interest overrides any genuine concern for patients.

Ayurveda the ancient system of Indian medicine has given a much better definition of health incorporating the spiritual aspect of human being. It gives primary importance to maintaining sound health. Its origin can also be traced to the Vedas and it is inseparable from Indian Spirituality. The enlightened men of ancient India called Rishis advocated a life based on spiritual values integrating science into daily life.

The vedas mention two types of knowledge-secular and spiritual. The Rishis exhorted people to make use of secular knowledge for solving worldly problems and take refuge in spiritual knowledge for attaining the ultimate goal of human life. They also pointed out the limitations of human senses and mind in understanding the truth. They declared that truth is beyond the senses, mind and intellect of man.

Today’s man should learn to lead balanced life giving equal importance to material and spiritual aspects of life. The institution of family should be respected and protected. Premarital and extramarital physical relationships should be strongly discouraged.

Married people should be loyal to each other till the end. Proper counseling before marriage should be given high priority. Conflicts at home should be reduced to the minimum. Children should get sufficient parental attention and receive proper education which includes spiritual values.

Mothers should spend sufficient time with their children to inculcate moral and spiritual values when the kids are still young and their minds are receptive. Schools should also set aside a few hours for imparting spiritual education.

With a change in attitude to life and our priorities we can live without fear of aids. Instead of that modern man is running after drugs and vaccines. There is no guarantee that the virus will not develop resistance to any drug invented by scientists. There is also no guarantee that the virus will not mutate rendering any vaccine ineffective.

It is mentioned in the beginning of this section that some scientists have challenged the view that AIDS is caused by the HIV virus. They say that the disease is due to abuse of certain substances consumed for experiencing some psychological effects. If this theory is correct it also proves that man is searching for happiness in the wrong place. The solution is again change in our attitude.

Hence instead of spending millions of dollars on AIDS research people should embrace spiritual values. All that money can be used for feeding the hungry and providing shelter to those living on pavements. This will also go a long way in reducing crime in our world. Poverty is closely linked to crime and prostitution and the latter to AIDS.

The solution to the problem is not distribution of condoms to school children but moral and spiritual revolution.

SBI!

HIV AIDS -cause, mode of transmission, clinical features, management and prevention

Prevention of AIDS