AIDS Treatment

AIDS is an incurable, potentially deadly condition caused by the virus named human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This virus works by destroying the immune system, HIV interferes with the body's capability to act against the organisms that cause disease. The term AIDS is the acronym of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. AIDS is a sexually transmitted syndrome. It can also spread the use infected blood, or also spread from mother to child during pregnancy. AIDS is also spread through direct contact with a mucous membrane or it can also spread through blood, vaginal fluid, semen preseminal fluid, and breast milk.

There is no remedy for AIDS, but range of drugs can be used collectively to control the virus. Each of the group of anti-HIV drugs obstruct the virus in different approaches. It's most effective to combine at least three drugs from two different groups to prevent creating strains of HIV that are immune to single drugs. The groups of anti-HIV drugs include:

Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)

NNRTIs break a protein required by HIV to replicates itself. Examples include etravirine (Intelence), efavirenz (Sustiva) and nevirapine (Viramune).

Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)

NRTIs are construction blocks that HIV requires to replicates of itself. Examples are Abacavir (Ziagen), and the collective drugs like emtricitabine and tenofovir (Truvada), and lamivudine and zidovudine (Combivir).

Protease inhibitors (PIs)

PIs break protease, which is another protein that HIV requires to replicates itself. Examples are atazanavir (Reyataz), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), darunavir (Prezista), and ritonavir (Norvir).

Entry or fusion inhibitors

These drugs obstruct HIV's access into CD4 cells. Examples are maraviroc (Selzentry) and enfuvirtide (Fuzeon).

Integrase inhibitors

Raltegravir (Isentress) acts by breaking integrase, which is a protein that HIV uses to put its genetic material into CD4 cells.

Multi drug Combination Products

Multi drug Combination Products gather drugs from more than one group into a single product. To act against virus strains from becoming resistant to particular antiretroviral drugs, doctors recommend that people having HIV take a combination of antiretroviral drugs commonly known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Produced by NIAID-supported analyzers.

HIV treatment plan may  include taking different pills at specific times every day for the rest of  the life. Side-effects are also present like;

1. Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
2. Abnormal heartbeats
3. Shortness of breath
4. Skin rash
5. Weakened bones
6. Bone death, particularly in the hip joints

Feedback to any treatment is judged by the viral load and CD4 counts of the victim. Viral load should be examined at the beginning  of treatment and then every three to four months while patient is undergoing therapy. CD4 counts should be observed every three to six months. HIV treatment should decrease the viral load of the victim to the point that it’s undetectable. That doesn’t mean that HIV has gone. It just means that the analysis  is not sensitive enough to find it. Victim can still transmit HIV to others when viral load of the victim is undetectable.

Treatment should begin if;

• Victim has severe symptoms
• CD4 count is under 500
• Victim is  pregnant
• Victim has HIV-related kidney disease

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