Human Immunodeficiency Virus And The Body 's Natural Defense System

HIV or the Human Deficiency virus is like other viruses including the flu, but the one thing that makes this virus so different than any other is that the body is unable to clear this one out completely. Once someone is infected, there is no cure. Over time, HIV can also hide or mask itself in the body's cells. The cells within a person's body that fight off infection are called CD4 cells or T cells. HIV attacks these cells and copies or replicates itself inside these cells, then destroys them. HIV over time will destroy so many of these cells that the body is unable to fight off infection anymore. When this starts happening, AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome happens which is the final stage

The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome denotes a spectrum of conditions that are caused by the HIV virus. Infection with this disease does not result in the instant occurrence of the related signs and symptoms. However, an individual is likely to experience flu-like symptoms after he or she is infected with it. Eventually, the person experiences a prolonged period of apparent health with no visible signs. On progression, the infection adversely interferes with the immune system of the individual. The weakening of the body’s defense system increases the risk of recurrence of common infections and opportunistic illnesses that

(Patton 47) AIDs is a very complex retrovirus that replicates in an individual’s DNA. It becomes a part of the genetic code and houses itself in a cell, primarily the T-4 cell. (Patton 47) It is not a living organism like bacteria or a parasite so it is incurable and cannot be treated by using antibiotics like other sexual transmitted infections (STIs) like Syphilis or Gonorrhea. A virus cannot be cured, so doctors treat HIV infected individuals with immune suppression to keep the virus from spreading throughout the body. Drugs created in the 21st century such as Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PReP) protect individuals who practice high-risk behavior or have a dangerously low functioning immune system from getting the virus. Research in the 1980s was very scarce and underfunded for AIDs medicines however.

As have been described above, HIV can have a potential effect on immunological cells, which are important to protect the body from additional infections such as Tuberculosis (TB), Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and other viral or bacterial infections. An effective treatment is needed to reconstruct what HIV has damaged. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a common treatment to stop the viral replication and decrease the disease progression, which may lead to a vast decline of the morbidity and mortality. The standard treatment involves a combination of at least three drugs; often known as a highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) where the most common types are Nucleoside reverse transcriptase

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is viral infection that weakens the immune system of the body and eventually causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) the last stage of the disease where a person can die. The virus has plagued the African American communities and continues to disproportionately impact the black race more than any other racial or ethnical group.

There have been 4,043 reported diagnosed cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection (HIV) per 100,000 populations. Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus attacks a specific white blood cell called T- helper cells which are used to fight off infection. As the virus destroys the t- helper cells, it replicates, destroying the immune system of the individual. Individuals who have the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection will have to constantly take medication to suppress the spread of the disease. If left untreated it will become very difficult for the individual’s body to fight off the virus resulting in death.

Some people live with it for years before being diagnosed and some experience symptoms within a few weeks. Symptoms are different for everyone but can include the usual flu-like symptoms which are “fever, headaches, tiredness, and enlarged lymph glands,” (HIV Facts, n.d.). These are some of the symptoms I had.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if not treated (About HIV/AIDS, n.d). Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot fully rid itself of HIV completely, even with treatment. Simply put, once you contract HIV, you have it for life. This disease attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune system stave off infections. When left to its own devices, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells (T cells) in the body, making the person more likely to

HIV is treated using a combination of medicines to fight HIV infection. This is called antiretroviral therapy (ART).

HIV attacks the body’s immune system, by destroying CD4 cells also knows as T cells, that are a type of white blood cells that help the body immune system fight off infections. T cells have proteins that helps the HIV virus bind. If HIV is left untreated, it can reduce the numbers of infected CD4 cells in the body, making the person's more prone to infections ("CD4 Count, HIV, and AIDS: Test and Results -- What They Mean," n.d.). Over time, HIV can completely destroy these cells and the body can no longer fight off infectious disease. When the body begins losing its ability to fight infections and the CD4 cell

HIV goes through several different movements before it leads to AIDs. The first step is the serioconversion illness. This symptoms of this illness is very similar to the flu and an affected individual will

HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. A member of a group of viruses called retroviruses, HIV infects human cells and uses the energy and nutrients provided by those cells to grow and reproduce. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down and is unable to fight off certain infections, known as "opportunistic infections," and other illnesses that take advantage of a weakened immune system. When a person is infected with HIV, the virus enters the body and lives and multiplies primarily in the white blood cells. These are the immune cells that normally protect us from disease.

Currently, there are no vaccines and no cures for HIV or AIDS, although scientists are researching and finding new drugs and treatments. So far, scientists have discovered a variety of drugs and medication that can be used to control and slow the virus and the progression of the disease. There are some drugs which interfere with the virus ability to make copies of itself by disabling a protein it needs, like Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. If someone is diagnosed with HIV, it is important to start with treatments as soon as possible.

There are three stages of HIV, and there are different effects within each stage. The first stage is the “Acute Primary Infection”. Within the first, through four weeks some will feel the symptoms of the flu or no symptoms at all. These symptoms include having a fever, sore throat, body rash, swollen glands, headaches, stomachaches, joint aches and pains, and muscle pains. These symptoms occur when the body is beginning to react to the virus. The second stage of HIV is “The Asymptomatic Stage.” The person who is infected starts to feel better within this stage. Without going

People can live with the virus for years and be unaware that they are infected. The only way the individuals can find out if they have HIV is to a HIV test. After this stage the suffer can go on with no symptoms for many years but will progressively cause damage to their immune system, once the immune system becomes extremely damaged their symptoms can include: