HIV Aids Treatment, Causes, Types, Symptoms, Medication And Facts

There are three types of nail fungus infection or Onychomycosis out there and Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis is considered to be one of the rarest types. It is usually associated with HIV because it only occurs to those who have weak immune systems.

This infection will usually affect an individual with damaged nails and most of the time, it occurs due to fungus known as Trichophyton rubrum. It can also occur if the individual is exposed to fungus such as Epidermophyton floccosum, Trichophyton tonsiurans, Trichophyton schoenleinii, Trichophyton megninii and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis is diagnosed by observing the fungus sample under a microscope. This has to be done due to the nature of this infection where it affects the fingernail and toenail area.

An individual affected by Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis will notice their nails to appear thick, fragile, dull and brittle. It can be painful when the fungi gradually lift the nail. The person who gets this infection will lose more nails if he is not getting any treatment. In fact, he might even lose all his nails if the condition goes untreated at all.

Doctors will usually prescribed infected individuals with oral medications or topical ointment, but topical ointment treatment will usually require at least 6 months before it show any improvements. More serious condition might involve surgical removal. As you can see, some of the treatment options involve complicated procedures that can cause pain to the patients.

Individuals who experience this infection will suffer from the pain in their nail bed area. There are certain serious cases where the patients will lose their nail permanently. That is the reason why they are usually advised to remove any dirt from their infected nails on daily basis as a way to prevent further infection.

Consuming long term oral medication to treat this infection might also cause unavoidable side effects such as skin rashes and also liver damage. That is why people who have liver disease or congestive heart failure are usually advised against taking oral medications.

The best way to prevent it from occurring is to wash and dry the feet carefully before sleep. Applying antifungal product such as Penlac or Lamisil can also prevent it from occurring.

HIV can be treated and one of its most effective treatment methods is Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). It is basically a bunch of antiretroviral medicines intended to keep a tab on the virus in a HIV patient’s body. There are other obvious treatments like ones that strengthen the immune system, monitoring of one’s white blood count and a simple oral medication prescription. If not checked when just HIV, it is allowed to become AIDS which is the worst stage of HIV. Once in that stage, opportunistic illnesses take their toll on one – tuberculosis and cancer. The common thread between all these health issues is that all of these things they all attack only those with low immunity.

Other than just people who have low immunity, people can get infected either by the accidental needle stick and sometimes also by bodily fluids. One must watch out for the needles where they lie. Any sexual interaction or intercourse with a HIV infectee can get the other partner infected. So as long as the treatment is started 72 hours after, the newly infected partner is safe,

Once diagnosed with HIV infection in its first stage (acute retroviral syndrome), start talking to your consultant physician about getting started in on HAART. Tests have shown that starting earlier treatment of HAART has had longer term benefits but the sooner the better. What is prescribed under HAART are Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (tenofovir, abacavir, amivudine and emtricitabine come under this bracket), Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors which are also called NNRTIs (inclusive of etravirine, nevirapine and faviren), Protease inhibitors (PIs) (which include saquinavir, atazanavir, indinavir, fosamprenavir, ritonavir , lopinavir/ritonavir, tipranavir, darunavir and nelfinavir), Fusion and entry inhibitors (maraviroc or enfuvirtide) and Integrase inhibitors.

The final decision to actually get on to the dosages is not as simple as the fact that you are HIV infected. Pros and cons, benefits and disadvantages have to be considered with an expert on the matter.

As far as the benefits of the system go, at such an early stage the symptoms of HIV will decrease, the progress of the disease will be checked, the virus multiplication rate will be lessened, it will maintain the immunity of the body, bring down the drug risk resistance (that with complete viral suppression) and the risk of it spreading is decreased by a small with each person that gets to enjoy these benefits.

The disadvantages are that it has many side effects – it leading to drug resistance causes it to block later treatment from working as it should, therapy needed after one is under the medication and doesn’t allow other medicinal or treatment forms to be used when the HIV disease is at its peak.

The biggest disadvantage is that even after treatment the patient continues to be a threat of being a HIV transmission agent.

Fighting HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a global health and humanitarian concern as it is one of most fatal diseases known to exist. HIV is a disease that attacks the immune system. It begins by attacking the CD4 cells, also called T4 cells which are necessary to combat illnesses. Ultimately, the virus overwhelms CD4 cells and the body becomes vulnerable to a host of diseases and infections. HIV is a progressive disease. Once your body’s CD4 cell count falls below 200 per cubic millimeter of blood, you will be diagnosed with AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome).

Initial Stage HIV Symptoms

Symptoms of HIV differ according to the stage of the infection you are in. In the initial stage of sickness, many patients develop flu-like symptoms within days of being infected or several takes after. These can include fever, rash, muscles aches along with swollen lymph nodes and glands. However, most people mistake them for common flu and the first symptoms of HIV will often be missed.

Even though the infection is slowly and steadily taking hold of your body, you may be asymptomatic. Only a HIV test will can confirm that you are indeed HIV positive. During this entire time, though completely oblivious, a patient is highly contagious. This is also how, a lot of times, infected mothers pass on HIV to their unborn babies or infants.

Chronic HIV/AIDS Symptoms
As the infection progresses, people with HIV become more and more vulnerable to several illnesses and infections that do not seem to affect healthy individuals around them. Their compromised immune system and its inability to ward off infections and illnesses also makes treatments for these normally curable infections or diseases fail.
In the later stages of HIV, before it progresses to full blown AIDS, signs of HIV infection can involve more severe symptoms. These include:
• Chronic fatigue
• Dry cough and shortness of breath
• Swollen lymph nodes in the armpits, groin and neck
• Mouth sores or yeast infection of the mouth
• Fever and/or night sweats
• Easy bruising
• Bouts of extreme exhaustion
• Unexplained body rashes
• Tingling, numbness and weakness in the limbs
• Appearance of purplish lesions on the skin or inside mouth
• Sudden unexplained weight loss
• Chronic diarrhea lasting for a month or more
• Delayed growth in children
• Enlarged spleen in children

People infected with HIV are observed to develop AIDS eight to ten years after HIV infection. However, with early diagnosis of HIV and access to medications, one can slow down the progression. In some individuals, it could take as long as ten to 15 years or more before they develop AIDS.
HIV/AIDS and Opportunistic Infections

In many instances, HIV patients are detected to have AIDS while receiving treatmet for contracting one of these opportunistic infections. There are more than 20 opportunistic illnesses. Some of them are:
• Severe bacterial infections
• Invasive cervical cancer
• Toxoplasmosis of the brain
• Kaposi’s Sarcoma
• Pulmonary tuberculosis
• Lymphoma
• Recurrent pneumonia

Other distressing conditions that develop with HIV/AIDS are loss of vision, nerve damage and brain impairment.
Since HIV/AIDS has no cure, following preventive measures such as safe sex practices, and using sterilized injection equipment at hospitals is the best protection.

The Progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the term used to describe a retrovirus that infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. HIV is known to be a progressive disease that debilitates the immune system and eventually results in the diagnosis of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). As HIV progresses to AIDS, it could cause the occurrence of at least 20 known related illnesses that result from the compromised health of the immune system.

Initial Stage Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS)

This is the period of rapid HIV replication in the body that occurs two to four weeks after contracting HIV. As HIV levels in the blood increase, it results in acute HIV infection which is characterized by a drop in CD4 cell counts. CD4, alternately called T-4 cells send signals to activate the disease combating immune response that wards off sickness. In a HIV infected person the CD4 count falls to under 200 making the sufferer vulnerable to a host of infections and cancers. Many individuals will experience flu-like symptoms during this infection period. These symptoms can include fever, inflamed lymph nodes, chills, sore throat, rash and muscular aches. The symptoms will probably last a few days to about 4 weeks and then go away. Those that experience these symptoms often liken their suffering to ‘the worst possible flu’ which is what medical experts call Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS). It is also called Primary HIV Infection.

Chronic HIV Infection

During this phase, unlike in the initial ARS stage, HIV reproduces at very low levels, although it is still active. The estimated sufferers of HIV who are unaware of being carriers of the deadly HIV virus are likely to be so in part due to the characteristics at this stage of the disease. A HIV-positive individual can have an undetectable viral load and a healthy CD4 cell count without the use of medication through earlier years of this phase.

Though this phase may last upto even 8 years, one may not have symptoms or opportunistic infections. Towards the middle and end of this stage, the onset of constitutional symptoms of the HIV virus affecting the entire body such as fatigue, weight loss, fevers, night sweats and muscular aches can be seen. Recurring outbreaks of cold sores, mouth sores, genital herpes and diarrhea can also be suspected symptoms of HIV.
In women, abnormal pap tests, persistent yeast infections and cervical cancer can also be symptoms of presence of HIV virus in the body.

Late Stage

An HIV-infected person may not develop the late stage commonly referred to as AIDS until 8 to 10 years after being infected. Normal CD4 counts in a healthy individual range between 500 and 1,600 cells per cubic millimeter of blood. As HIV progresses to AIDS, CD4 count falls to under 200 cells. As AIDS occurs, a collection of opportunistic infections that are usually severe, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis or cancers are seen.

HIV virus has no known cure. But with early treatment and strict adherence to medication regimen, many individuals continue to live active lives for several healthy years.

It is important to know what activities will spread the HIV virus and increases the risk of infected by this virus.
HIV is commonly transmitted if unprotected sex occurs with an HIV positive individual. That is the reason why it is important to use condoms when you’re having sex with someone you know recently. Avoid having multiple sex partners as it will increase your chance of contracting this deadly virus as well.

Sexual activities between two men are another reason to get HIV infection.
You will still probably get HIV infection if your partner is considered to have high risks of getting HIV.
Are you experiencing sexually transmitted disease recently? You should check up because that is another sign of high risk sexual activity.

Sharing needles with someone who has HIV for drug injection purpose is another reason why a healthy individual can get HIV.

Infants born by a HIV infected mother is probably infected as well.
The early and end phase of HIV infection is the time when the virus will spread easily. At this phase, the individual will experience flu-like symptoms.

There is very low to no risk of getting HIV infection due to blood transfusion and organ transplant in United States as everything is properly screened and is ensure to be safe before they’re approved.