HIV infection

Jose Abarca, Student

Monday, July 15, 2019

Guayaquil - A review of the central aspects of HIV infection updated and based
on the best available scientific evidence.

HIV is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. In 2010, HIV was the
leading cause of disability adjusted life years around the world for people aged
30 to 44, and the fifth leading cause of all ages. Deaths related to global AIDS
reached a maximum of 2.3 million in 2005, and decreased by 1.6 million in 2012.
About 50% of all deaths in people on antiretroviral treatment in high-income
countries are not due to AIDS. In one study, the main ones, cardiovascular
diseases (15.7%) and liver diseases (14.1%).

HIV prevalence is improved around the world, antiretroviral therapy, people are
living longer. AIDS reached a peak of 2.3 million in 2005, and decreased by 1.6
million in 2012. An estimated 9.7 million people in low and middle income
countries were initiated on antiretroviral therapy in 2012. The new knowledge
about the mechanisms of latent infection and the importance of reservoirs of
infection can eventually lead to a cure. The role of activation in the pathogenesis
of "non-AIDS" clinical events (Main causes of morbidity and mortality in people
receiving antiretroviral therapy) is receiving greater recognition. Research in
other prevention activities, especially vaccines and vaginal microbicides, is still
ongoing.

The terms HIV and AIDS can be confusing, because they are related but they are
different. HIV is a virus that damages the immune system by invading and then
destroying the white blood cells that fight infection. AIDS is the final stage of an
infection with untreated HIV. People with AIDS can have a variety of symptoms,
because their weakened immune systems put them at risk of developing life-
threatening infections and cancers.
HIV is transmitted from one person to another through certain bodily fluids, such
as blood and semen. Approximately 90% of all new HIV infections occur during
sex. Sharing needles and injecting drugs is the second most common route of
infection. HIV can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her newborn.
HIV is not transmitted through non-intimate contact, such as shaking hands,
cuddling, sneezing, sharing utensils or using the same bathroom.

To keep HIV infections under control it is necessary to have an early diagnosis

and take daily anti-HIV medications throughout life. Even if it is not detected in
the blood, once a person contracts HIV, the virus remains hidden forever in the
body. "HIV has the ability to integrate into cells and hide in an inactive form, called
a reservoir," says Fauci. While medications can keep virus levels low, they do not
eliminate the viral reservoir. Therefore, in the absence of treatment, HIV comes
out of hiding and quickly returns to the bloodstream.

For some people, maintaining this daily health regimen can be a challenge.
Nationwide, less than 1 in 3 people with HIV take antiretroviral drugs with enough
regularity to reduce the virus to undetectable levels. For this reason, ongoing
studies funded by the NIH are creating and evaluating medications that can be
taken less frequently, such as once a month. This approach will be tested in a
large-scale clinical trial that is expected to begin in Africa later this year. Other
approaches that are not dependent on daily anti-HIV medications are also being
tested.