Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is a human-specific virus that affects otherwise healthy immune systems. Certain cell types that are typically infected are white blood cells, endothelilal cells, and some types of neurological cells. Ultimately, infection with HIV may cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, which is defined as the late stages of the disease. While some people infected with HIV may display no significant symptoms for many years after infection, others may begin to experience the effects almost immediately.
Joe Klein, the chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases of Alfred duPont Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, explains that human immunodeficiency syndrome or HIV, attacks T cells in the immune system and spreads. When and if...
This end-stage development in the disease produces more severe symptoms and allows opportunistic infections to occur in the person's body because the immune system does not have the strength to fight them. These diseases, which...
HIV is a latent virus, meaning that the virus causes the immune system to lose its function over time, thereby leaving the individual susceptible to numerous forms of cancer and foreign, infectious pathogens. As the individua...
AIDS is a life-threatening disease that damages the body's immune system. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. People infected with HIV may be asymptomatic for years prior to manifesting the illness. In the...
Patients can experience a wide range of effects from HIV infection and AIDS. HIV treatment continues to advance, and community support systems are available for patients with these conditions. An HIV or AIDS diagnosis can be ov...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that in the United States, about 1.1 million people had HIV or AIDS by the end of 2006. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, passes to people through sexual contact, needle ...
Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1, or HIV, causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. HIV/AIDS has a global impact, and as of 2010 remains a pandemic disease. AIDS was identified in the early 1980s and the viral cause--HI...
Two common medications used as sleep aids are diphenhydramine and zolpidem. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine that causes sleepiness and fatigue; it is the active ingredient in the over-the-counter allergy medicine, Benadryl....
occur in people younger than 25, according to the KidsHealth website. Understanding the statistics as well as the risk factors can help teens and their loved ones better understand the challenges faced, while coming up with eff...
This disease is contracted through the exchange of infected bodily fluids such as semen, pre-seminal fluid, breast milk, blood and rectal (anal) mucous. In advanced stages of its underlying disease--Human Immunodeficiency Virus...
Substances marketed as athletic-performance enhancers are often labeled as nutritional supplements, which means they are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and, therefore, their safety and efficacy may be unknown...
An HIV diagnosis can illicit many emotions. Not everyone has the same emotions and the emotions may manifest in different ways for different people. It is important to be aware of the emotional effects that this diagnosis can h...
HIV can only be transmitted through blood, contaminated needles or sexual contact. Because AIDS can be deadly and can be spread from person to person---many people in society tend to place a stigma on those who carry the virus ...
