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Peace Okere
25 march 2016
The Impact of HIV as a Disease Condition of the Body
Introduction
HIV is a disease condition of the body which develops by breaking down the body tissues and its mechanism. HIV which fully means human immune deficiency syndrome was first discovered in equatorial Africa in the late fifty’s before spreading to other parts of the world (Curtis, 106).
In the fifty’s when it was first discovered , there was no vaccine or medication to secure the life of any ...view middle of the document...
(Xin-yun.,2207).
Effects of HIV to the body
As the virus progresses in the body, it causes some changes in the body mechanism of its host. These physical changes might be as a result of medical treatment for HIV or the impact of HIV on host body. It might also make one gain or lose weight in particular parts of the victims’ body. HIV also manifest in its victim through fever, severe fatigue, non itchy rashes, swollen glands, muscle aches, sore throat, night sweat. It also gradually but steadily destroys the nervous system, respiratory, skin and gastro-intestinal systems.
Stages of Hive
As HIV advances in the body, the body continuously grows weaker and weaker to fight the diseases. At this stage, the body’s defense mechanism is broken down and it begins to enable diseases such as pneumcyctis pneumonia (PCP), tuberculosis and Kaposi’s to cause severe damage in the respiratory systems. Early HIV-1 infection is characterized by high levels of HIV-I replication and substantial CD4, T cell depletion in the intestine (Dillion, 12)
Stages of HIV can be divided into three namely- acute, chronic and aids. The acute stage is known as the first stage of HIV. At this stage the host might not even know that it is infected. The chronic stage is the second stage and is known as the stage when the body begins to exhibit its porosity and abnormality. The final stage of HIV is known as AIDS. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, popularly known as AIDS has no known medical cure at this time. At this stage, the immune system has been completely subdued and taken over by the virus. Its attacks to the body tissues become more constant and visible to the physical body as it continues to manifest through different deficiencies of the body. AIDs occurs when the number associated with certain types of cells in the immune system drop below a certain level and can only be caused by the HIV. Untreated HIV can live in its host body for ten years before developing to full blown aids. When a person is diagnosed with ‘Opportunistic infections’, he is most likely to have AIDS. These infections are called ‘opportunistic because they take advantage of the opportunities presented by the weakness of the immune system. It also implies that healthy immune system cannot allow opportunistic infections to thrive. However,’’despite sexual activity and risk for HIV infection, only few older Americans use condoms to protect themselves from infection during sexual intercourse’’ (Brooks, 1516).
Treatment and Prevention
Anti-retroviral are medications that work directly on HIV to slow down or suppress the multiplication of HIV in the body. A person that has HIV has high chances of living longer when placed on the right dosage of these antiretroviral. It slows down the extent of damage done to the CD4 by HIV while also limiting the damage done to the immune system. It also helps to improve the...