AIDS is a devastating disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, that remains incurable. Normally, HIV doesn't produce symptoms for years after the initial infection but works silently to destroy the immune system of the afflicted person. When an HIV-infected person's CD4 immune cell count falls below 200 cells per cubic milliliter or when he begins to develop opportunistic infections as a result of the HIV infection, he is diagnosed with AIDS. Treatment of AIDS involves attacking the virus that causes it, as well as treating any opportunistic infections that occur.
History
In the 1980s, at the start of the AIDS epidemic, there were few treatment options and people diagnosed with the disease expected to live only a few years at most past their diagnosis. The development of anti-retroviral drugs in 1989 changed that, because these types of drugs allowed AIDS sufferers to slow the progression of the disease or delay the development of AIDS in HIV-positive people who had not yet begun to show symptoms. Newer drug regimens use a combination of different medications to manage the disease, further extending the life spans of those using these treatments.
Medications
Current AIDS treatment and management is focused on a regimen called highly active anti-retroviral therapy, or HAART. This usually involves three or more retroviral drugs that work together to minimize viral particles and maximize healthy immune cells. Anti-retrovirals work by disrupting the life cycle of HIV, preventing it from replicating and spreading. Other medications may be used in the management of AIDS to treat opportunistic infections that crop up.
Resistance
One difficulty in treating AIDS is that HIV mutates quickly and can develop resistance to specific anti-retrovirals. This often occurs in patients who have been taking anti-retrovirals for over 20 years and those who don't take their medicine as directed or skip doses. If a particular treatment stops working or if genetic tests determine that a person is carrying a resistant strain of HIV, the treatment regimen is altered and a different combination of drugs tried.
Side Effects
Drugs to treat AIDS have a wide range of side effects, depending on the particular combination of medications. Common side effects include nausea, malaise, weakness, headaches, diarrhea, fat accumulation on the back and abdomen, and an increased risk of heart attack.
Considerations
People who are undergoing treatment for AIDS may be able to successfully reduce the number of viral particles in the body to undetectable levels, but this doesn't mean that they are cured. A person with HIV who is being suppressed by drugs can still pass the infection to others. Aside from taking all medications as directed, AIDS patients should also remain up to date on all immunizations, eat healthy, avoid drugs and smoking, get adequate rest and practice active avoidance of infection by washing hands and avoiding those who are ill. These can all help immunocompromised people from contracting any opportunistic illnesses and give their bodies the best chance to help fight their disease.
