How does the doctor tell if the medicines are working?
Three tests can measure the amount of the virus in your blood. Your doctor can use this information to find out how your body is responding to the medicine.
* The CD4 cell count. CD4 cells are a kind of white blood cell (sometimes called T-lymphocytes, or T-cells) in your blood. CD4 cells are important because they help your body fight infections. Unfortunately, these cells are also the main target of the virus that causes HIV infection. This virus cripples the CD4 cells. In people who don't have HIV, the CD4 level is between 500 and 1,200 cells per mm3 (cubic millimeter). Your doctor will probably give you medicine to fight HIV when your CD4 cell count drops below a certain level. One goal of treatment for HIV infection is to keep your CD4 cell count as high as possible.
* Viral load. The viral load is the number of copies of HIV in your blood. A person who doesn't have HIV infection has a viral load of 0. Medicine that lowers the amount of HIV in the body is usually given when your viral load measures more than 10,000 to 30,000 viral copies per mL (milliliter) of blood. A second goal of treatment is to make the viral load as low as possible.
* CBC. The complete blood count (also called the CBC) measures the number of red and white cells in your blood. Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to all the tissues of your body. White blood cells fight infections. They keep your body's immune system strong. A large drop in red blood cells and a large drop in white blood cells can occur when HIV infection is getting worse. This drop can also be caused by the same medicines that you take to fight HIV (medicines like zidovudine). Your doctor uses the CBC to help decide when to change your medicines. Your doctor wants to keep your red and white blood cell counts high enough to keep you healthy.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
HIV Treatment
HIV Treatment
What is HIV?
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks the body's immune system. A healthy immune system is what keeps you from getting sick.
Because HIV damages your immune system, you are more likely to get sick from bacteria and viruses. It is also harder for your body to fight off these infections when you do get them, so you may have trouble getting better. HIV is the condition that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
HIV can only be passed from person to person through body fluids, such as blood, semen and vaginal fluid. Children born to infected mothers can also become infected during pregnancy. The most common ways HIV is passed are:
* By having unprotected anal, vaginal or oral sex with an infected person.
* By sharing needles and syringes for injecting drugs with an infected person.
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How can my doctor tell if I have HIV or AIDS?
First your doctor tests to see if you have HIV infection. Your blood is tested with an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test. If this test is positive for HIV, your blood is tested again with the Western blot test. If both tests are positive, you are diagnosed with HIV infection.
Three things show that a person who has HIV infection has developed AIDS. If any one or more of the following are present, the person has AIDS:
* A CD4 cell count (discussed below) of less than 200
* A CD4 cell percentage of less than 14%
* An AIDS-indicator illness
An AIDS-indicator illness is a physician-diagnosed medical problem that occurs in people who have advanced HIV infection. About 25 medical problems are considered AIDS-indicator illnesses. They include conditions like Pneumocystis pneumonia, Kaposi's sarcoma and wasting syndrome. If a person who is infected with HIV gets an AIDS-indicator illness, that person has AIDS.
Return to top
What is HIV?
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks the body's immune system. A healthy immune system is what keeps you from getting sick.
Because HIV damages your immune system, you are more likely to get sick from bacteria and viruses. It is also harder for your body to fight off these infections when you do get them, so you may have trouble getting better. HIV is the condition that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
HIV can only be passed from person to person through body fluids, such as blood, semen and vaginal fluid. Children born to infected mothers can also become infected during pregnancy. The most common ways HIV is passed are:
* By having unprotected anal, vaginal or oral sex with an infected person.
* By sharing needles and syringes for injecting drugs with an infected person.
Return to top
How can my doctor tell if I have HIV or AIDS?
First your doctor tests to see if you have HIV infection. Your blood is tested with an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test. If this test is positive for HIV, your blood is tested again with the Western blot test. If both tests are positive, you are diagnosed with HIV infection.
Three things show that a person who has HIV infection has developed AIDS. If any one or more of the following are present, the person has AIDS:
* A CD4 cell count (discussed below) of less than 200
* A CD4 cell percentage of less than 14%
* An AIDS-indicator illness
An AIDS-indicator illness is a physician-diagnosed medical problem that occurs in people who have advanced HIV infection. About 25 medical problems are considered AIDS-indicator illnesses. They include conditions like Pneumocystis pneumonia, Kaposi's sarcoma and wasting syndrome. If a person who is infected with HIV gets an AIDS-indicator illness, that person has AIDS.
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