HIV /AIDS RETURNS IN TWO BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTED PATIENTS
Posted by on Saturday, 11th January 2014
HIV /AIDS RETURNS IN TWO BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTED PATIENTS
PROF.DRRAM ,HIV/AIDS,SEX DISEASES,SEX WEAKNESS & ABORTION SPECIALIST
profdrram@gmail.com,+917838059592,+919832025033 DELHI –NCR,INDIA
FOLLOW ON FACE BOOK:www.facebook.com/drramkumar
FOLLOW ON TWITTER:www.twitter.com/profdrram
Two patients previously thought to be ‘cured’ of HIV after undergoing bone marrow transplants are now seeing the return of the virus in their blood, a US doctor has revealed.
Timothy Henrich, a physician-researcher at the Boston Brigham and Women’s Hospital, believed the re-emergence of the virus demonstrates that HIV reservoirs, latent cells carrying the virus, ‘is deeper and more persistent’ than scientists had realised.
‘The return of detectable levels of HIV in our patients is disappointing, but scientifically significant,’ Henrich told Xinhua in a statement through e-mail.
‘Through this research, we have discovered …that our current standards of probing for HIV may not be sufficient to inform us if long-term HIV remission is possible if anti-retroviral therapy is stopped,’ he said.
The two HIV-positive patients, who do not want to be identified, received bone marrow transplants as part of treatment for Hodgkin’ s lymphoma, a cancer of the blood, one in 2008, the other in 2010.
HIV became undetectable in both patients approximately eight months after transplant. This year, during spring, they agreed to cease anti-retroviral therapy to test whether the transplant had eliminated the virus from their bodies.
In July, the researchers announced that the two have shown no signs of HIV after they were off anti-retroviral therapy for 15 weeks and seven weeks, respectively.
But in August, the researchers detected HIV in one of the patients, who then resumed taking medication. The other opted to stay off the medicine but last month, after 32 weeks with no HIV detected, signs of the virus re-emerged and the patient also resumed anti-retroviral therapy.
According to researchers, the virus is now suppressing as expected and they are both currently in good health.
Rate It
HIV /AIDS INDIAN DATA: HOW MUCH THEY ARE TRUE AND RELAIBLE? DOES FOREINGN COUNTRIES RELIES THEM OR A COVERUP FOR NATIONAL PRIDE ?IS ZERO DISCRIMINATION,ZERO CASES FOR HIV IS POSSIBLE IN INDIA ?
Posted by on Thursday, 9th January 2014
HIV /AIDS INDIAN DATA: HOW MUCH THEY ARE TRUE AND RELAIBLE? DOES FOREINGN COUNTRIES RELIES THEM OR A COVERUP FOR NATIONAL PRIDE ?IS ZERO DISCRIMINATION,ZERO CASES FOR HIV IS POSSIBLE IN INDIA ?
PROF.DRRAM ,HIV/AIDS,SEX DISEASES,SEX WEAKNESS & ABORTION SPECIALIST
profdrram@gmail.com,+917838059592,+919832025033 DELHI –NCR,INDIA
FOLLOW ON FACE BOOK:www.facebook.com/drramkumar
FOLLOW ON TWITTER:www.twitter.com/profdrram
.
On the eve of World AIDS Day, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest US non-profit healthcare provider for HIV/AIDS in the US, questioned the efficacy and the claims of the National HIV policy and India’s celebrated AIDS model . A conference they held on the eve of World AIDS Day looked to provide a reality check on the progress in India towards the UNAIDS slogan – Getting to zero – zero discrimination, zero AIDS related death and zero new infections.Globally, according to the UNAIDS report, 34.0 million people have been estimated to be living with AIDS in 2011 and about half of them do not know their HIV status.In South and South-East Asia, the estimated 270 000 [230 000–340 000] new HIV infections in 2010 is 40 percent less than at the epidemic’s peak in 1996.
In India 2.4 million HIV positive people. It’s estimated that out of these 61% are male, 39% are female and 3.5% are children. As of 2009, the adult prevalence is believed to be 0.31%. Despite, the huge number the prevalence of HIV is low when compared to our today population. On the other hand, HIV epidemic regions like South Africa have over 5 million cases with a prevalence of 18% in adults.
India has reduced new HIV infections by 57% since 2001,The recently released UNAIDS Report 2013 claims that India has managed to reduce new HIV infections by a staggering 57% since 2001. To put this in perspective, in the same time frame, our neighbours Pakistan have seen an eight-fold increase in the number of cases.siiliarly although our infnt mortality rate is higher than srilnka and bangladesh but in HIV CONTROL we are 25% ahead of them. A major reason for this a concerted effort by the Central government to tackle the ailment head on through information dissemination, education and communication. Also there has never been a case of AIDS denialism in India like there was in other epidemic countries which prevented the disease from spreading far and wide.
Drug addicts, men who have sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers are the high risk groups.In India, HIV is mainly concentrated among high risk groups who are 15-30 times more likely to contract HIV than non-high risk groups. The main high risk groups are intravenous drug users, men who have sex with men and female sex workers. HIV prevalence in men who have sex with men (MSM) stands at 4.43 percent and for female sex workers (FSW) the figure is recorded at 2.67 percent respectively.Getting treatment for high risk groups is even harder because of the stigma attached to each of the aforementioned activities. Nationally, the prevalence rate for adult female is 0.29 percent, while for male it is 0.43 percent. This means that for every 100 people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHAs), 61 are men and 39 women. Prevalence is also high in the 15-49 age group (88.7 percent of all infections), indicating that AIDS still threatens the cream of society, those in the prime of their working life.
Not enough ART – anti-retroviral therapy: Less than 10% people getting drugs.The reason HIV has become a more manageable disease instead of a death knell is because of something called anti-retroviral therapy in which a cocktail of drugs are given to HIV positive people which helps them manage their condition and prevents HIV from becoming AIDS. In fact, a study in India showed that early treatment not only prevents HIV from becoming AIDS but also lowers the chance of transmitting the virus. This has been observed in HIV discordant couples (one positive, one negative) and also mother-to-child transmission. Sadly, not enough people are getting treatment. India remains one of the countries where less than 10% HIV positive people receive ART and there are frequent cases of drug shortage. In India approximately 40 -59 percent of eligible people were receiving ART at the end of 2011.
Globally, the biggest gain has been made in reducing new HIV infections among children. Half of the global reductions in new HIV infections in the last two years have been among newborn children. The new HIV infections in children have dropped by 24 percent in the last two years.But in india less work has been done in this group and giving ART to pregnant mothers and giving ART to affected childrens.
REASONS WHY HIV /AIDS IS NOT THAT SUCCESSFUL IN INDIA:----
Still need to fight the stigma
The biggest challenge in India after the lack of drugs is the stigma attached to the ailment. When HIV was rife in the US, most people thought it was a disease that afflicted people who had it coming – the homosexuals, the drug users and the sex workers. While this view has changed over time, the stigma issue remains a problem in many parts of the world including India. We keep on coming across news items which talk about HIV positive families being ostracised, or an HIV positive people losing their jobs. It’s been often said that stigma of the ailment makes it much harder to deal with than the ailment itself. We need strict laws to curb anti-HIV discrimination and need to provide sensitisation to people to deal with people who suffer from the condition.Recently LGBT criminalisation and our hard drug control laws put all patiens of HIV under bar,MSM<FSW<DRUG INJECTOTRS where it is high hide it so disease has got large reservoir and opely available escort services,raised economical condition,more brothels and Red light areas,social living relations,open mindness, freedom to live as per choice and sex purchased by money,pressure,liquor or drugs ,pornography and sexual exhibinitism in open uncontrolled net,newspaper, socil midi,TV,Film,Rev parties all increase HIV/AIDS IN VULNERABLE GROUP AND IN AGE GROUP 15-49
For more on HIV/AIDS check out our AIDS section.
This comes in a time when the national body, NACO, claimed to have decreased HIV prevalence from 2.4 million at 0.31% to 2.1 million at 0.27% in the International Conference for AIDS in the Asia Pacific (ICAAP) held in November. The years of 2012 and 2013 saw many incidents of test kit stock out complaints from various community members and District officials in various forums. ‘Are the lower numbers due to lower access of testing facilities due to a decreased faith in the testing centres as a result of the continuous lack of test kits?’ asked AHF India.
Outdated treatment protocols?
According to Dr Nochiketa Mohanty, Country Program Manager, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, India, ’In India, outdated treatment guidelines are followed for people living with HIV on treatment as compared to the latest recommendations by WHO on CD4 count, which could help them fight the disease at a much earlier stage of disease. Not only this, outdated policies and methods of testing are implemented i.e. Serum based testing, which is less accessible, lengthy, requires venipuncture, trained technician & is cumbersome as compared to the implementation of Whole blood finger stick rapid tests, which is recommended by WHO, is more faster, & easy to perform at any place. Many lesser economies like Sierra Leone in Africa have started following these guidelines and have shared their success stories in various international forums. If they can, India definitely can implement these strategies. Is there an effort to decrease testing to find lesser people living with HIV so that a success story of a decreased HIV burden can be shared to the world?’)
Move to a two-test process
‘Developed countries like Australia and many other countries like Vietnam, China and Uganda have changed their national policies from a 3 HIV test policy to a 2 test policy in order to make testing more accessible, less cumbersome, faster as well as economical and also since the specificity and sensitivity of the results were shown to be comparable. Even in India, the Revised National TB Control Program (RNTCP) has moved from a 3 test to 2 test policy for sputum smears on similar grounds. The Department of AIDS Control in India needs to learn from these strategies to make testing more accessible especially since more than 40%, based on the earlier estimates of 2.4 Million provided by NACO, are still unidentified’, said Dr Chhim Sarath, Asia Bureau Chief, AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
‘The treatment guidelines for HIV in India are archaic and follow older versions of international guidelines of WHO and CDC recommended prior to 2009 and do not follow the current international recommendations. While WHO recommends early initiation of treatment irrespective of CD4 count and many countries have initiated treatment provision for those with CD4 count below 500, India still recommends waiting till a CD4 count of 350 and lesser to initiate treatment. For pregnant women, it is recommended that treatment be started irrespective of the CD4 count to decrease transmission but there are many instances of pregnant women who are not initiated on treatment since there CD4 count is above 350. There seems to be a greater focus on the economics of putting more people living with HIV on treatment over the larger public health perspective in India’, said Ms Terri Ford, Chief of Global Advocacy, AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
‘Department of AIDS Control, India needs to step up to the modern world instead of holding on to antiquated recommendations for testing and treatment in order to help the world curb the epidemic’, said Mr Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare
About AHF.Globlly,NAIDS latest says to achieve universal access to HIV treatment, prevention, care and support by2015, and to maintain it, HIV programme funding needs to be scaled up from US$ 16.6 billion in 2011 to US$ 24 billion in 2015, before declining to US$ 19.8 billion in 2020.
Rate It
HIV/AIDS INFECTIONS-ADVANCING PRODUCE OPPURTUNISTIC INFECTIONS LEADING TO MOERBIDITIES & DEATH
Posted by on Thursday, 9th January 2014
HIV/AIDS INFECTIONS FOLLOWED BY OPPURTUNISTIC INFECTIONS;
PROF.DRRAM ,HIV/AIDS,SEX DISEASES,SEX WEAKNESS & ABORTION SPECIALIST
profdrram@gmail.com,+917838059592,+919832025033 DELHI –NCR,INDIA
FOLLOW ON FACE BOOK:www.facebook.com/drramkumar
FOLLOW ON TWITTER:www.twitter.com/profdrram
.
Besides some infections like Oral thrush,oral hairy leuoplakia,undiagnosed fever,loss of weight,loss of appetite,Diarrhoea prolonging for month or so which usually occurs even CD4 COUNT IS NOT THAT LOW I.E., ABOVE 200 OR more than 14% of total CD4 count percentage most below mentioned infections comes once HIV VIRAL LOAD IS HIGH,CD 4 BELOW 200 or 50 .
some gross hiv OPPURTUNISTIC INFECTIONS ARE AS FOLLOW:_
AIDS MALIASE:Weakness uneasyness muscle cramps,fever,nausea vomiting,loss of memory,murmuring bnorml words or wasting of muscles seen as many times.
Herpes simplex: seen as mutiple paulo vesiclar lesions over genitilia or mouth or in advanced stage lesion going to Lung and brain also reported.
CANCERS: BURKITT LYMPHOMA,CERVICAL CANCERS,INTESTINAL TUMORS,BRAIN LYPHOMAS may occur in advanced stage of AIDS/HIV infections Kaposi’s Sarcoma: It is a tumour caused by infection with human herpes virus 8. Though, initially described as an AIDS defining illness, it is known to occur in non-AIDS patients as well. However, as compared to a slow progression in normal individuals, the disease is very aggressive in HIV patients. The sarcoma can show symptoms in varied places including macular (related to a part of the eye), papular (all over the body) and exophytic (growths on the surface of the body) growth. (Read: HIV/AIDS – Causes, Symptoms, Tests, Treatment & More)
Candidiasis: It is an infection caused by the fungus Candida albicans. It is seen in normal as well as in patients with HIV/AIDS. In normal patients, the infection is limited to the mouth and oral cavity and is superficial in nature. In HIV/AIDS, it may colonize the oro-pharynx or the oesophagus or may colonize in both the areas. It may also infiltrate into the deeper tissues. By itself, it is not a prime cause of death, but the infection may cause difficulty in swallowing and decrease oral intake.
Crptococcosis: Fungal infection of Brain meninges is coomin,india ink tesing with csf is diagnostic.Crptosopodiasis of intestine produce diarrhoea similiarly Isospora infection does cause diarrhoes.
coccidiodomycosis,Histoplasmosis ,aspergilosis may infect lung or sytemic organs and even brain.
Tuberculosis (TB): It is one of the most important public health diseases in India. It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the absence of a proper immune system as seen in HIV/AIDS patients, the disease is more aggressive, widespread and more aggressively infective. It affects multiple body organs and even organs like the thyroid glands and heart, which are normally resistant to tuberculous infection. Dr Anjana Tadani, from Niramaya Hospital says, ‘Besides all this, the strain that proliferates in HIV/AIDS patients are usually resistant to the conventional anti-tuberculus drugs, and is usually a multi drug resistant strain. This strain is capable of affecting multiple organs in the body leading to death.’
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a type of cancer of the immune system. Development of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a long term complication in HIV infection. The risk of developing Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma increases with the duration of decreased immunity. The cancerous cells are initially formed most commonly in the lymph nodes, but quickly spread to other organs and without treatment it can be rapidly fatal. However, with the use of early anti-retroviral therapy, the incidence of this disease in AIDS patients has greatly reduced.
Pneumocystitis Pneumonia (PCP): Pneumocystitis Pneumonia is an infection of the lung caused by a yeast like fungus Pneumocystis jiroveckii, an organism that is normally found in the lungs of healthy individuals. In the presence of a normal immune system, it is unable to cause any damage or infection. In a person suffering with HIV/AIDS, the body’s immune system is compromised. This decreased immunity makes the person susceptible to opportunistic infections like PCP. The organism infiltrates into the fibrous septa of the alveolar spaces present in the the lungs and causes them to thicken. This thickening prevents normal gaseous exchange in the lungs and causes a state of severely decreased oxygenation of the body. If untreated, this disease is fatal.
Cytomegalovirus infections: Cytomegalovirus is a virus that is a part of the herpes family and spreads through exchange of body fluids. In the normal course of events, the infection is asymptomatic and the virus usually remains dormant in the body for the entirety of a person’s life. However, in times of decreased immunity – like in a person suffering from HIV/AIDS – the virus reactivates and can lodge itself in various organs of the body like the lungs, brain, gastrointestinal system and the eye. Untreated and in the case of a severe infection can be dangerous to life.Cytomeglo Retinitis n advnced infection of eye needing very meticulous treatment.
HIV and AIDS Dementia: Dementia is a condition that leads to a loss of intellectual capabilities such as memory, judgement and abstract thinking. Unlike other complications and diseases in AIDS which are opportunistic infections, it is postulated that AIDS Dementia Complex is caused by the HIV virus directly. Though, HIV does not directly infect the brain cells, it may cause inflammation in them or kill them. This was a common condition in the pre-HIV treatment days, but today, less than 10 – 15% of AIDS patients develop this complex.A
AIDS Wasting Syndrome: Wasting syndrome is a condition seen in AIDS patients where there is more than 10% weight loss with decrease in muscle mass. It is caused due to a variety of factors including:
Loss of Appetite: Directly because of HIV infection, opportunistic infections, side effects of medications, depression etc.
Decreased absorption of nutrients: This is usually either directly because of HIV infection, opportunistic infections and diarrhoea due to the side effects of medicines.
Metabolic changes: HIV as well as other infectious diseases cause an increased energy demand from the body, which may not be met by the dietary intake of a patient suffering from HIV/AIDS. This causes conversion of proteins to energy which can lead to wasting syndrome.
The AIDS Wasting syndrome increases the risk of opportunistic infections and significantly increases the risk of death.
Mycobacterium Avium Complex: Mycobacterium Avium Complex is a disease complex resembling a tuberculous infection which is almost never seen in normal healthy individuals. It is caused by a group of bacteria which include Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare. The source of infection is uncertain but both water and air have been implicated. Mycobacterium kansasi infection is also seen.In severely immune compromised patients this disease can be very difficult to manage as the source is yet unknown.
Lipodystrophy: It is a condition of abnormal fat distribution which has two components -Lipohypertrophy where there is an abnormal central deposition of fat and Lipoatrophy involving the loss of fat in peripheral sites like arms and limbs.
Lipodystrophy can be seen in other chronic conditions as well. In HIV/AIDS patients, it is usually seen as a complication of anti-retroviral therapy. The condition makes the person susceptible to atherosclerosis and diabetes.
Toxoplasmosis: Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Transmission to humans occurs primarily by ingestion of undercooked pork or lamb meat that contains tissue cysts, or by exposure to oocysts either through ingestion of contaminated vegetables or direct contact with cat faeces. Other modes of transmission include the transplacental route (from mother to baby), blood product transfusion, and organ transplantation. In patients with a healthy and otherwise normal immune system this infection – even in an acute infection – does not show symptoms. Once ingested, the oocysts spread to different organs and enter the cells, causing destruction and focal necrosis (tissue death in the area where the cysts have invaded the organ). The immune reaction converts these foci into tissue cysts.
Toxoplasmosis associated with HIV infection is typically caused by reactivation of a chronic infection and is seen primarily as toxoplasmic encephalitis. This disease is an important cause of brain lesions in HIV-infected patients. Characteristically, toxoplasmic encephalitis is seen in a patient with moderate severity and one of the classic symptoms or effects of this condition is that a small part of the patient’s brain is affected (also called focal neurologic effects) by the presence of the cyst. This is normally accompanied by headaches, altered mental status, and fever. The most common focal neurologic signs are motor weakness and speech disturbances. The patients may also suffer from seizures, cranial nerve abnormalities, visual field defects, sensory disturbances, cerebellar dysfunction, meningismus (symptoms like meningitis but without the infection of the meninges), movement disorders, and neuropsychiatric manifestations like schizophrenia, hallucinations etc.
Toxoplasmosis is a rarely fatal form of diffuse encephalitis. Treatment is similar for both healthy as well as for patients with HIV/AIDS. However, it may be necessary to continue medication even after the condition is resolved and administer maintenance therapy for longer times in patients with HIV/AIDS.
Progressive leuco-encephalopathy: Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a rare disease of the brain involving the white matter and caused by the JC virus (John Cunningham virus). It occurs almost exclusively in people with immune deficiency including those with HIV/AIDS. In patients not on anti-retroviral therapy, death occurs in almost 95% of patients within 4 to 6 months after diagnosis. With the widespread adoption of therapy, the incidence of PML has decreased substantially. Also, patients now show a prolonged survival rate (almost 2 years). All treatments for this disease are experimental and there is no known standardized protocol for cure or remission. Intensive antiretroviral therapy is the cornerstone of treatment.
Rate It
HIV/AIDS INFECTIONS-ADVANCING PRODUCE OPPURTUNISTIC INFECTIONS LEADING TO MOERBIDITIES & DEATH
Posted by on Thursday, 9th January 2014
HIV/AIDS INFECTIONS FOLLOWED BY OPPURTUNISTIC INFECTIONS;
PROF.DRRAM ,HIV/AIDS,SEX DISEASES,SEX WEAKNESS & ABORTION SPECIALIST
profdrram@gmail.com,+917838059592,+919832025033 DELHI –NCR,INDIA
FOLLOW ON FACE BOOK:www.facebook.com/drramkumar
FOLLOW ON TWITTER:www.twitter.com/profdrram
.
Besides some infections like Oral thrush,oral hairy leuoplakia,undiagnosed fever,loss of weight,loss of appetite,Diarrhoea prolonging for month or so which usually occurs even CD4 COUNT IS NOT THAT LOW I.E., ABOVE 200 OR more than 14% of total CD4 count percentage most below mentioned infections comes once HIV VIRAL LOAD IS HIGH,CD 4 BELOW 200 or 50 .
some gross hiv OPPURTUNISTIC INFECTIONS ARE AS FOLLOW:_
AIDS MALIASE:Weakness uneasyness muscle cramps,fever,nausea vomiting,loss of memory,murmuring bnorml words or wasting of muscles seen as many times.
Herpes simplex: seen as mutiple paulo vesiclar lesions over genitilia or mouth or in advanced stage lesion going to Lung and brain also reported.
CANCERS: BURKITT LYMPHOMA,CERVICAL CANCERS,INTESTINAL TUMORS,BRAIN LYPHOMAS may occur in advanced stage of AIDS/HIV infections Kaposi’s Sarcoma: It is a tumour caused by infection with human herpes virus 8. Though, initially described as an AIDS defining illness, it is known to occur in non-AIDS patients as well. However, as compared to a slow progression in normal individuals, the disease is very aggressive in HIV patients. The sarcoma can show symptoms in varied places including macular (related to a part of the eye), papular (all over the body) and exophytic (growths on the surface of the body) growth. (Read: HIV/AIDS – Causes, Symptoms, Tests, Treatment & More)
Candidiasis: It is an infection caused by the fungus Candida albicans. It is seen in normal as well as in patients with HIV/AIDS. In normal patients, the infection is limited to the mouth and oral cavity and is superficial in nature. In HIV/AIDS, it may colonize the oro-pharynx or the oesophagus or may colonize in both the areas. It may also infiltrate into the deeper tissues. By itself, it is not a prime cause of death, but the infection may cause difficulty in swallowing and decrease oral intake.
Crptococcosis: Fungal infection of Brain meninges is coomin,india ink tesing with csf is diagnostic.Crptosopodiasis of intestine produce diarrhoea similiarly Isospora infection does cause diarrhoes.
coccidiodomycosis,Histoplasmosis ,aspergilosis may infect lung or sytemic organs and even brain.
Tuberculosis (TB): It is one of the most important public health diseases in India. It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the absence of a proper immune system as seen in HIV/AIDS patients, the disease is more aggressive, widespread and more aggressively infective. It affects multiple body organs and even organs like the thyroid glands and heart, which are normally resistant to tuberculous infection. Dr Anjana Tadani, from Niramaya Hospital says, ‘Besides all this, the strain that proliferates in HIV/AIDS patients are usually resistant to the conventional anti-tuberculus drugs, and is usually a multi drug resistant strain. This strain is capable of affecting multiple organs in the body leading to death.’
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a type of cancer of the immune system. Development of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a long term complication in HIV infection. The risk of developing Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma increases with the duration of decreased immunity. The cancerous cells are initially formed most commonly in the lymph nodes, but quickly spread to other organs and without treatment it can be rapidly fatal. However, with the use of early anti-retroviral therapy, the incidence of this disease in AIDS patients has greatly reduced.
Pneumocystitis Pneumonia (PCP): Pneumocystitis Pneumonia is an infection of the lung caused by a yeast like fungus Pneumocystis jiroveckii, an organism that is normally found in the lungs of healthy individuals. In the presence of a normal immune system, it is unable to cause any damage or infection. In a person suffering with HIV/AIDS, the body’s immune system is compromised. This decreased immunity makes the person susceptible to opportunistic infections like PCP. The organism infiltrates into the fibrous septa of the alveolar spaces present in the the lungs and causes them to thicken. This thickening prevents normal gaseous exchange in the lungs and causes a state of severely decreased oxygenation of the body. If untreated, this disease is fatal.
Cytomegalovirus infections: Cytomegalovirus is a virus that is a part of the herpes family and spreads through exchange of body fluids. In the normal course of events, the infection is asymptomatic and the virus usually remains dormant in the body for the entirety of a person’s life. However, in times of decreased immunity – like in a person suffering from HIV/AIDS – the virus reactivates and can lodge itself in various organs of the body like the lungs, brain, gastrointestinal system and the eye. Untreated and in the case of a severe infection can be dangerous to life.Cytomeglo Retinitis n advnced infection of eye needing very meticulous treatment.
HIV and AIDS Dementia: Dementia is a condition that leads to a loss of intellectual capabilities such as memory, judgement and abstract thinking. Unlike other complications and diseases in AIDS which are opportunistic infections, it is postulated that AIDS Dementia Complex is caused by the HIV virus directly. Though, HIV does not directly infect the brain cells, it may cause inflammation in them or kill them. This was a common condition in the pre-HIV treatment days, but today, less than 10 – 15% of AIDS patients develop this complex.A
AIDS Wasting Syndrome: Wasting syndrome is a condition seen in AIDS patients where there is more than 10% weight loss with decrease in muscle mass. It is caused due to a variety of factors including:
Loss of Appetite: Directly because of HIV infection, opportunistic infections, side effects of medications, depression etc.
Decreased absorption of nutrients: This is usually either directly because of HIV infection, opportunistic infections and diarrhoea due to the side effects of medicines.
Metabolic changes: HIV as well as other infectious diseases cause an increased energy demand from the body, which may not be met by the dietary intake of a patient suffering from HIV/AIDS. This causes conversion of proteins to energy which can lead to wasting syndrome.
The AIDS Wasting syndrome increases the risk of opportunistic infections and significantly increases the risk of death.
Mycobacterium Avium Complex: Mycobacterium Avium Complex is a disease complex resembling a tuberculous infection which is almost never seen in normal healthy individuals. It is caused by a group of bacteria which include Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare. The source of infection is uncertain but both water and air have been implicated. Mycobacterium kansasi infection is also seen.In severely immune compromised patients this disease can be very difficult to manage as the source is yet unknown.
Lipodystrophy: It is a condition of abnormal fat distribution which has two components -Lipohypertrophy where there is an abnormal central deposition of fat and Lipoatrophy involving the loss of fat in peripheral sites like arms and limbs.
Lipodystrophy can be seen in other chronic conditions as well. In HIV/AIDS patients, it is usually seen as a complication of anti-retroviral therapy. The condition makes the person susceptible to atherosclerosis and diabetes.
Toxoplasmosis: Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Transmission to humans occurs primarily by ingestion of undercooked pork or lamb meat that contains tissue cysts, or by exposure to oocysts either through ingestion of contaminated vegetables or direct contact with cat faeces. Other modes of transmission include the transplacental route (from mother to baby), blood product transfusion, and organ transplantation. In patients with a healthy and otherwise normal immune system this infection – even in an acute infection – does not show symptoms. Once ingested, the oocysts spread to different organs and enter the cells, causing destruction and focal necrosis (tissue death in the area where the cysts have invaded the organ). The immune reaction converts these foci into tissue cysts.
Toxoplasmosis associated with HIV infection is typically caused by reactivation of a chronic infection and is seen primarily as toxoplasmic encephalitis. This disease is an important cause of brain lesions in HIV-infected patients. Characteristically, toxoplasmic encephalitis is seen in a patient with moderate severity and one of the classic symptoms or effects of this condition is that a small part of the patient’s brain is affected (also called focal neurologic effects) by the presence of the cyst. This is normally accompanied by headaches, altered mental status, and fever. The most common focal neurologic signs are motor weakness and speech disturbances. The patients may also suffer from seizures, cranial nerve abnormalities, visual field defects, sensory disturbances, cerebellar dysfunction, meningismus (symptoms like meningitis but without the infection of the meninges), movement disorders, and neuropsychiatric manifestations like schizophrenia, hallucinations etc.
Toxoplasmosis is a rarely fatal form of diffuse encephalitis. Treatment is similar for both healthy as well as for patients with HIV/AIDS. However, it may be necessary to continue medication even after the condition is resolved and administer maintenance therapy for longer times in patients with HIV/AIDS.
Progressive leuco-encephalopathy: Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a rare disease of the brain involving the white matter and caused by the JC virus (John Cunningham virus). It occurs almost exclusively in people with immune deficiency including those with HIV/AIDS. In patients not on anti-retroviral therapy, death occurs in almost 95% of patients within 4 to 6 months after diagnosis. With the widespread adoption of therapy, the incidence of PML has decreased substantially. Also, patients now show a prolonged survival rate (almost 2 years). All treatments for this disease are experimental and there is no known standardized protocol for cure or remission. Intensive antiretroviral therapy is the cornerstone of treatment.
Rate It
HIV /AIDS VACCINE-HOW FAR WE ARE? WILL WE GET VACCINE IF SO WHEN & HOW ?
Posted by on Thursday, 9th January 2014
HIV /AIDS VACCINE ON THE WAY:NEW TECHNOLODGY ADATED FOR A SUCESS;
PROF.DRRAM ,HIV/AIDS,SEX DISEASES,SEX WEAKNESS & ABORTION SPECIALIST
profdrram@gmail.com,+917838059592,+919832025033 DELHI –NCR,INDIA
FOLLOW ON FACE BOOK:www.facebook.com/drramkumar
FOLLOW ON TWITTER:www.twitter.com/profdrram
Finnish company FIT Biotech might have just developed an extremely effective treatment for HIV, a vaccine designed to "lower the viral load of current HIV patients."According to Finnish news outlet Yle Uutiset, FIT Biotech's treatment might have the ability to stop the HIV infection from progressing dead in its tracks, or even help patients rid their bodies of the infection completely. CEO Kalevi Reijonen says that the company is collaborating with two European universities and American pharmaceutical companies to conduct an ongoing study to test the vaccine. The research will last two to three years starting in spring 2014, and involve 1,000 patients throughout Switzerland and France. The first phase will involve hundreds of HIV sufferers.
According to Reijonen, the treatment is revolutionary. If testing is successful, "... applications will be made to the FDA in the USA and the EMA in Europe to authorise the marketing of the drug. Dealing with the regulations may take a year and a half. So we're still looking at about five years before the drug would become available."Designed to use in combination with AIDS medication, FIT Biotech says that the medical treatment of a vaccinated HIV sufferer in the developed world could cost 90% less.
The science: It all sounds very promising in theory, but FIT Biotech has yet to prove the efficacy of its proposed treatment. Basically, it's a DNA vaccine that encodes HIV or SIV (the simian equivalent of the virus) proteins, allowing the patient to produce T-cells specifically designed to fight HIV. FIT Biotech's patented "Gene Transport Unit" (GTU) technology safely introduces new genes into the body, apparently with few side effects.Vaccinated macaques in a prior study showed signs of significantly better immune response:
Coupled with existing retroviral drug treatments, the medication could theoretically help the body reduce HIV levels to very low amounts, halting symptoms or transmission of the virus, or even reducing it to undetectable levels (think Magic Johnson).In the best-case scenario, the vaccine could essentially make HIV infections asymptomatic in combination with retroviral drugs, with remission still a risk without continued treatment. Reijonen says that a preventative HIV vaccine based on the treatment could be a decade away.But FIT Biotech still hasn't proven its treatment will work in humans, meaning that the upcoming trials will be the real benchmark.
So is this a cure for HIV? Not yet, but there's good reason to be optimistic. Other researchers like Dr. Louis J. Picker have been making similar strides in research into an HIV vaccine, increasing hopes that at least one of these new technologies will pan out.
Rate It
Why we are No. 1 › 
Category (
Views ( 2818 ) | User Rating
