Hiv
The HIV virus, which causes AIDS, was first recognized as a new and distinct clinical entity in 1981. Since then it has become a universal epidemic concerning all of mankind.(3) This epidemic is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV. HIV belongs to the retrovirus family, a family of RNA viruses noted for possession of a viral reverse transcriptase.(2) Reverse transcriptase allows a retrovirus to synthesize DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from their RNA. HIV like all viruses replicates inside a host cell. By seizing a host cell, the HIV virus starts with the entry into the host cell. The host cell is a cell with a surface molecule called cluster designation 4 or CD4.(2) These molecules are known as CD4+ cells. The virus surface molecules, which are classified as glycoprotein protrude from the surface of the virus and bind tightly to the CD4+ molecule on the cell surface. The membranes of the cell and virus then fuse together. The next process the virus undergoes is reverse transcription and DNA synthesis. The HIV virus releases the enzyme, reverse transcriptase, which converts viral RNA into DNA that is then implanted into the hosts DNA. The new DNA is spliced into the host cel
Despite the huge success of this therapy, it has some drawbacks. Patients are required to take up to 20 pills per day on specific schedules. Some pills can be taken with food; some cannot be taken at the same time with others. One or two lapses in treatment may cause the virus to develop resistance to the drug regimen. Therefore, scheduling of the medication can be difficult for the most organized person. Another drawback is the price. The prescriptions are very expensive because the ingredients are expensive, and are not available in generic form. So, not everyone can afford them. The third are the unpleasant side effects produced by antiretrovirial drugs.(3) Common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, headache, abdominal pain and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet. Some patients suffer more misery from the treatment than they do from the illness produced by HIV infection. wo to four weeks after the initial infection, 70 to 80% of HIV infected persons suffer flu-like symptoms related to the acute phase of the infection. During this phase, the immune system fights back, which reduces the HIV levels in the blood. One reason HIV is different from other viruses is due to a person’s immune response. It is impossible for the immune system to destroy the virus. Some HIV particles escape due to the high rate of mutations that occur during replication. From the time of the infection of HIV, to the onset of AIDS is approximately 10 to 12 years.(4) researchers have observed a wide range of variations in the disease progression. An estimated 10% of patients studied, have progressed to AIDS within the first 2 to 3 years following the infection.(1) On the other end, 5% of the individuals studied have stable CD4+ T-cell counts and no symptoms after twelve or more years. Since no vaccine or pill is available to guarantee the prevention of HIV/AIDS, as a society there is only a limited number of things we can do to stop the transmission of HIV. Avoid the behaviors that would give a person this virus. If you are infected, for example, practice abstinence. Because many people infected with HIV have no symptoms, there is no way of knowing with certainty whether a sexual partner is infected unless he or she has been repeatedly tested for the virus
Some topics in this essay:
HIV DNA,
AIDS Opportunistic,
RNA HIV,
HIV Avoid,
CD4+ T-cell,
HIV HIV,
Epidemic HIV,
DNA DNA,
hiv virus,
RNA DNA,
reverse transcriptase,
host cell,
immune system,
cd4+ cells,
infected hiv,
hiv infected,
viral particles spread,
viral particles,
infection hiv,
reverse transcriptase inhibitors,
cell surface,
particles spread body,
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Approximate Word count = 1538
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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