Question

AIDS describe the disease, etiology, symptoms, diagnostic procedures, treatment, prognosis and prevention.

Answer 1

1) AIDS :- Is a disease in which there is a severe loss of the body's cellular immunity, greatly lowering the resistance to infection and malignancy.
2) ETIOLOGY :- HIV is a bloodborne pathogen acquired in non-occupational settings most readily either across mucous membranes or parenterally by 5 prime modes of transmission : unprotected penetrative sex between men,unprotected heterosexual intercourse,injection drug use,unsafe blood and blood by-products (primarily in developing countries), and mother to child spread during pregnancy, delivery, or breast feeding.
3) SYMPTOMS :- Within a few weeks of HIV infection, flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat and fatigue can occur. Then the disease is usually asymptomatic until it progresses to AIDS. AIDS symptoms include weight loss, fever or night sweats, fatigue and recurrent infections.

4) DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES :-

The primary tests for diagnosing HIV and AIDs include: ELISA Test ELISA, which stands for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, is used to detect HIV infection. If an ELISA test is positive, the Western blot test is usually administered to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment consists of HIV antivirals
No cure exists for AIDS, but strict adherence to antiretroviral regimens (ARVs) can dramatically slow the disease's progress as well as prevent secondary infections and complications.
The prognosis in patients with untreated HIV infection is poor, with an overall mortality rate of more than 90%. The average time from infectionto death is 8-10 years, although individual variability ranges from less than 1 year to long-term nonprogression.

Prevention of HIV/AIDS
Protecting yourself from HIV begins with understanding how the virus is spread. The virus can be passed in only certain ways:

During sex with a person infected with HIV
By sharing a contaminated needle, such as through illicit drug use.
From HIV mother to child either during pregnancy, labor or breastfeeding.
Through a contaminated blood transfusion
Donated blood in the United States has long been tested for HIV (since 1985) and is considered very safe. Also, if a pregnant woman knows she is HIV-positive, her medical team can now take special steps to help prevent her baby from becoming infected.

Condom use
Consistent and correct use of the male latex condom reduces the risk of sexually transmitted disease (STI) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. However, condom use cannot provide absolute protection against any STI.

Epidemiologic studies that compare rates of HIV infection between condom users and nonusers who have HIV-infected sex partners demonstrate that consistent condom use is highly effective in preventing transmission of HIV. Similarly, epidemiologic studies have shown that condom use reduces the risk of many other STIs. However, the exact magnitude of protection has been difficult to quantify because of numerous methodological challenges inherent in studying private behaviors that cannot be directly observed or measured.