Information about Aids - The AIDS Patient and Opportunistic Infections

The AIDS Patient and Opportunistic Infections

A person may not show signs or symptoms they have been infected with the HIV virus right away. You may feel some flu-like symptoms but can pass it off as just a bad cold or the flu. You may have a fever, have a sore throat, suffer from a headache, feel tired, and your glands may swell. Even though you may not be suffering from symptoms of HIV, it is still destroying your immune system. It is not lying dormant in your body.

Opportunistic infections begin to appear because the immune system begins to lose its ability to fight off infections. Microorganisms that do not normally harm a healthy body will cause problems in a body that has an impaired immune system. Opportunistic infections can be found in the esophagus, lungs, spinal cord or brain and the retinas of the eyes.

The immune system continues to be damaged and small infections become larger. The AIDS patient is sick more often and may even develop a more serious disease such as cancer. Each round of illness further weakens the immune system until it can no longer fight bacteria, fungi, and germs.

Symptoms of an opportunistic infection can be several things, and all could be caused by something else. Infections can cause upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Sounds like the flu, right? You may also feel tired, have a lack of energy, pain when you swallow and have a fever. Could it be a cold? You shouldn’t take chances if you are at risk for HIV or AIDS. Other symptoms include unexplained weight loss, confusion, forgetfulness, vision loss, and seizures. These are all symptomatic of opportunistic infections allowed by an impaired immune system.

Did You Know?

The best and most certain way of not getting HIV or AIDS is to avoid contact with body fluids from an infected person. Contact can occur during homosexual or heterosexual activity. Body fluids find an opening in the body and the infection is passed to another person. The virus can get into the vagina, anus, mouth, and eyes.

A person with an open cut or wound can allow the virus into their body. If you are in the medical profession, it is urgent you take precautions while handling patients. Gloves, masks, and goggles are necessary to protect from accidental infection of the HIV virus.

Research on the HIV virus and the disease of AIDS has been continuing since the early 1980’s. The epidemic is growing and scientists and researchers are constantly working on vaccines and new therapies for AIDS and other HIV associated conditions. There are over 30 HIV vaccines are being tested on humans and there are many other drugs for HIV or AIDS related infections are still being developed and tested by major laboratories. Researchers are still trying to trace how the disease progresses and how it damages the immune system.

If you know you are HIV positive or have AIDS you must take special precautions to keep from getting even a small infection. Be sure to cook your meat thoroughly and avoid eating undercooked fish or other protein. Wash your hands with soap and water after you have used the rest room and after being in public places. It may be good to carry around an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Many medications are needed to fight AIDS. A patient may be taking up to twenty pills a day to help fight the virus and boost the immune system as much as possible. A patient may develop a strain of AIDS that is resistant to the drugs developed to treat the disease. Some drugs have crippling side effects that degrade the quality of life the patient is able to have. Treatment guidelines now recommend a delay in starting drug therapy in HIV and AIDS patients if they are not showing signs of the disease. Researchers have discovered that starting the drugs too early may cause serious results. It may make the disease drug-resistant sooner and could limit future treatment choices. If the patient has high levels of the HIV virus in their blood, treatment should be started immediately.

A doctor that is trained in treating patients with these diseases should treat patients who have HIV or AIDS. A trained medical care team can help the patient decide when to start treatment.

Better Your Health

HIV and AIDS Information and Resources

◦ World Health Organization’s AIDS Staging
◦ History of AIDS Looking Closer at the HIV Virus and AIDS
◦ Living With HIV and AIDS
◦ Know the Basics about AIDS
◦ What are the Causes of AIDS
◦ Homeopathic Ways of Treating the AIDS Patient
◦ AIDS and the Nervous System
◦ Options If You Are HIV Positive
◦ The AIDS Patient and Opportunistic Infections
◦ Advanced Signs of the HIV Virus
◦ Tests For the HIV Virus
◦ Other Health Concerns For The AIDS Patient
◦ Prayer And Spirituality Used In The Treatment Of AIDS
◦ How To Prepare For Your AIDS Medical Appointment
◦ Aids and Viral Complications
◦ Parasitic Infections Common to HIV Patients
◦ AIDS Related Lymphoma
◦ Treating AIDS Related Lymphoma
◦ Serious Complications Associated With The HIV Virus
◦ White Blood Cells And AIDS
◦ Neurological Complications Associated with AIDS
◦ What To Do If You Think You Might Have Aids
◦ New Developments In AIDS Research
◦ Coping With Your AIDS Diagnosis
◦ The Symptoms of HIV Infection
◦ Education Is The Key To Stopping the AIDS Epidemic
◦ The Emphasis Must Be On Prevention for HIV and AIDS
◦ AIDS Medical Terms
◦ Take An Active Role In Your AIDS Medical Treatment
◦ Reducing The HIV Risk Factors
◦ Keeping A Positive Outlook For AIDS Patients
◦ Acupuncture To Relieve The Side Effects Of AIDS Treatment
◦ A Healthy Lifestyle Can Help You Treat AIDS
◦ AIDS Patients Are In It For Life
◦ Basic AIDS Information
◦ Do You Need To Let Everyone Know That You Are HIV Positive
◦ Important Vitamins and Minerals for a Person with HIV
◦ Treatments Available for the Patient with HIV or AIDS
◦ Ways You Cannot Get The HIV Virus
◦ Treatments Available for the HIV Positive Woman
◦ Understanding the Basics of HIV
◦ The United States AIDS Policy
◦ Treatment Guidelines for the AIDS Patient
◦ Treating Serious Illnesses in The AIDS Patient
◦ HIV Transmission
◦ How The HIV Virus Progresses
◦ The Fear the AIDS Stigma Brings
◦ I Tested Positive For the HIV Virus: What Now
◦ How To Tell Other People You Are HIV Positive
◦ Facts And Myths Regarding HIV Transmission
◦ Some Recent Advances In The Fight Against AIDS
◦ Preventive Measures You Can Take Concerning HIV Infection
◦ Dates In AIDS History
◦ The Impact of AIDS On MSM, Men Who Have Sex With Men
◦ Dealing With Malnutrition For The HIV Infected Person
◦ Know Your Personal HIV Risk Factors
◦ Keeping Yourself AIDS Free
◦ Are Condoms Effective As Protection Against AIDS Transmission
◦ Juicings Possible Benefits To The Person With HIV
◦ What Are The Initial Signs and Symptoms of HIV Infections
◦ AIDS Faqs
◦ Five Classes of Antiretroviral Drugs for Treating AIDS
◦ Dietary Needs And The HIV Patient
◦ Misconceptions About AIDS
◦ Oh No I have AIDS
◦ The Staggering AIDS Statistics
◦ Exercise May Boost Your Imune System
◦ Aids And The Toll On Families
◦ Immunization Needs For Adult AIDS Patients
◦ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome: The Basic Facts
◦ Is There A Silver Lining in The Cloud of AIDS

Site Map

Click Here to add this page to your favorites