Can HIV/AIDS Cause Other Medical Complications?

Can HIV/AIDS Cause Other Medical Complications?

Complications include AIDS-related opportunistic infections; invasive bacterial infection; certain cancers such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's (kuh-POE-zees) sarcoma, and cervical ^* cancer; pneumonia; and AIDS dementia (dih-MEN-sha), in which there is impairment of thinking, memory, and concentration. HIV-infected people who use IV drugs are at increased risk for hepatitis ^* C infection, which can lead to severe liver damage and death. People with AIDS also are more likely to develop more severe symptoms and complications from other infections such as syphilis ^* and tuberculosis ^* .

How Can HIV/AIDS Be Prevented?

Researchers are working to develop a vaccine ^* for AIDS. Until one is available, the best means of prevention is avoiding contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is infected. This means:

• avoiding sexual contact; this is the only certain way of preventing HIV infection from heterosexual or homosexual sexual contact
• practicing safer sex (using a latex condom properly every time for vaginal, anal, or oral sex), which reduces but does not eliminate the risk of HIV infection; other forms of birth control such as birth control pills offer no protection against the HIV virus
• avoiding IV drug use and never sharing needles for drugs, steroids, medications, tattooing, or body piercing.

^* vaccine (vak-SEEN) is a preparation of killed or weakened germs, or a part of a germ or product it produces, given to prevent or lessen the severity of the disease that can result If a person is exposed to the germ itself. Use of vaccines for this purpose is called immunization.