HIV/AIDS 1

HIV and AIDS

The Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease (AIDS) is a deadly disease affecting

more than 33 million people worldwide. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

causes AIDS. HIV destroys the immune system that helps a person fight disease. It can

take many years before HIV will weaken the immune system resulting in the progression

to AIDS. At this time there is no cure for this disease. After the discovery of this disease
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scientists have worked effortlessly to find various treatments that can be used to sustain

life. These drugs that can slow the progress of HIV/AIDS are available however many

people all over the world cannot afford to purchase. Disease History, the etiology,

affected population, and treatments of HIV/AIDS will be presented in this paper.

History of the Disease

HIV was first recognized as a new disease in the United States when clinicians in

New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco began to see young homosexual men with

Pneumocystis carinii ( Pjiroveci) pneumonia (PCP) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). These

were unusual diseases for young adults not known to be immunosuppressed (Osmond,

2003). In June 1981, five homosexual men in Los Angeles were found to have PCP. A

few weeks later 26 homosexual men in both New York and San Francisco presented with

the disease. As a result of these first cases the disease was first designated as Gay-

Related Immune Deficiency (GRID). In mid-1982, the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) published a report of 34 cases of KS and opportunistic infections (OIs)

in Haitians living in different states in the United States, none of whom reported

homosexual behavior (Osmond, 2003). Cases were also being reported of transfusion

recipients having the disease. By September 1982, the CDC published a case definition

and referred to the disease as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (CDC, 1982).

Continued research into the cause of this deadly disease led scientists to discover

evidence that the disease existed for some years prior to 1981. They analyzed blood

samples obtained from a Bantu man, who died of an unidentified illness in the Belgian

Congo in 1959, which confirmed that he was the first case of HIV.
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Etiology of the Disease

Much controversy has surrounded the origins of HIV/AIDS. One belief is that a

hunter who killed a chimpanzee came in contact with the infectious disease and spread it

that way; another is that someone was bit by a monkey. The one conclusion that many

scientist have come up with is that the disease was spread through a monkey, but how the

disease was contracted pales in comparison to the devastating effects that it has had on

the world. The earliest known infection was from a blood sample given by a man in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1959 (Hiv/aids basics, 2006). The analysis of this

one blood sample suggests that the virus may have developed in the late 1940s to the

early 50s. The virus became prominent in the United States in the mid to late 70s when a

prevalence of rare types of pneumonia, cancer, and other illnesses were reported, the

patients who were reporting them also claimed to be mostly men that were sexually

active with other men. These types of diseases had up until then only been seen in

patients with highly compromised immune systems. Although there was an obvious

deadly disease on the rise from the early 70’s it was not given a name until 1982 when

health officials named it acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and formal tracking of

AIDS cases began.

Affected populations

The human immunodeficiency virus and the acquired immunodeficiency

syndrome is a pandemic on a global scale, affecting many populations. There are over

33million people all over the world affected with this deadly disease. Scientists have

worked for decades to develop a cure; however they have been unsuccessful thus far.
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This disease does not discriminate against race or country. South Africa, Nigeria and

India are countries with the largest population living with the disease. The reason for high

rates of infection among these populations is poverty, lack of education about the disease

poor health care infrastructure and socioeconomic status.

Other groups of people at risk include college students and adolescents. As a

group, adolescents are at a high risk for contracting AIDS. Many adolescents are still

uninformed on how AIDS is transmitted. Out of 860 adolescents surveyed in

Massachusetts between 17 and 19, 70% said they were sexually active (Lee Strunin PhD,

Ralph Hingson, 1987). The survey also reported that 15% of them reported changing

their sexual behavior because of concern about contracting AIDS, and only 20% of those

who changed their behavior used effective methods (Lee Strunin PhD, Ralph Hingson,

1987). The use of psychoactive drugs, and alcohol also put them at a higher risk for

contracting HIV/AIDS. Eight percent of those adolescents surveyed did not know that

AIDS can be transmitted through heterosexual contact. They also did not know that

AIDS can be transmitted via intravenous use. The adolescents surveyed did not know

what sexual and drug precautions were needed to protect themselves against AIDS. The

board of education and the medical community must unite to educate adolescents on

AIDS and how to prevent transmission of the deadly infection. More surveys could be

given to this population to monitor their knowledge concerning HIV/AIDS transmission

and prevention.

Possible Treatments
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At this time there is no cure available for this deadly disease, however scientists

and pharmaceutical companies are constantly working on medication that can prolong

life. HIV is treated with a combination of different types of medication. This is known as

a cocktail mixture of three different drugs. Some of the medications administered have

two to three different medications in one pill. The basic medicines used to treat HIV are

Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or "Nukes" (NRTIs), Non-

nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or "Non-nukes" (NNRTIs), Protease inhibitors

(PIs), Entry Inhibitors, and Integrase Inhibitors. Each of these medications plays a huge

role in the treatment for HIV. NRTI and NNRTI are the two medications used to help

stop the process of the cells copying themselves in the early stages. PI is the medication

used to block the cells in the end stages from copping its self. The medication used for

this is called Kaletra. This medication has very serious side effects that range from heart

and liver problems to immune reconstitution syndrome. Entry Inhibitors are used to stop

HIV before it can enter and infect the healthy CD4 cells. Integrase Inhibitors are used to

help stop the integration of HIV into CD4 cell DNA to stop further spread of the virus.

Conclusion

The HIV and AIDS pandemic is one that is growing rapidly around the world. It

has been over 30 years since the first case of HIV was reported here in the United States

yet still people are overwhelmed and uncomfortable when discussing this disease The

exact origin of the disease may never be known, but one thing we do know is the

devastating effects it has had on our society. Our responsibility to protect ourselves and

our loved ones from the disease is to remain educated on the prevention of the disease.

Scientists are still struggling to figure out a cure and there have been many strides in the
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way of treatment for the disease. With the help of medication there is now hope for a

bright future with the advances in medical technology, giving hope to those infected and

their loved ones.

References

Center for Disease Control HIV/AIDS basics. (2006). Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/qa/definitions.htm
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Strunin PhD, L., & Hingson, R. (1987, May). Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome &

Adolescents Knowledge, Beliefs, Attitudes, & Behavior. Pediatrics, 79(5), 825-

828.

Osmond, D. H. (2003, March). Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the United States. HIV

InSite Knowledge Base Chapter, (),

Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Update on acquired immune deficiency syndrome

(AIDS)--United States. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1982 Sep;31(37):507-8,

513-4