REFERENCES FOR AIDS
Healthy With HIV - Resources and ideas for those diagnosed with AIDS to improve the quality of life, prevent spread of the disease to others and obtain antiretroviral therapy.
Treat HIV Now - The symptoms of new AID or HIV infections may be dormant for periods up to six months before antibody titers are high enough in the blood to produce a positive HIV or AIDS antibody test. The confirmatory test for a positive rapid screening test is the Western Blot.
The Mayo Clinic - A brief flu-like illness occurs within two to four weeks after an initial HIV infection. This flu-like illness subsides on its own while HIV titers build in the blood and cause damage to the immune system. Symptoms may not appear again for periods up to 10 years.
WebMD - Persistent rash, night sweats, cough, and unexplained weight loss are symptoms of AIDS infection. AIDS is diagnosed when a person's T4 cell count in their body falls below 200 per micro liter of blood.
AVERT - Antiretroviral drugs can usually administered in a combination of three or more drugs. Therapy is introduced in a method called first and second line therapy to combat resistance and multiple severe side effects.
eMedicineHealth - Antiretroviral therapy can extend a person's life expectancy, but there is no cure for AIDS. Antiretroviral therapy should be initiated early in order to effectively prevent replication of the AIDS virus and slow destruction of infection fighting T4 cells.
eMedtv - AIDS is an epidemic amongst minorities with more than 900,000 cases in the United States since 1981. People diagnosed with AIDS are susceptible to opportunistic infections due to a weakened immune system
Medline Plus - AIDS is the sixth leading cause of death for people aged 25-44. AIDS can be isolated from saliva, tear, spinal fluid, blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
AIDSSymptoms.org - Antiretroviral therapy drugs cannot cure AIDS but it can lower the titer of the virus within the blood thus decreasing the chance of passing the disease to others. Antiretroviral drugs are indicated to double the life expectancy of those taking the medication versus those who do not.
MedicineNet - AIDS testing is a two step process consisting of a screening test and the confirmatory test, the Western blot. Common opportunistic infections associated with AIDS are toxoplasmosis, pneumonia, mycobacterium infections, and Kaposi sarcoma.
The New York Times Health Guide - AIDS begins with HIV infection and progresses to the point where T4 cells are below 200, leaving the body vulnerable to infections from common bacteria an opportunistic infections.
Better Medicine - There is no cure for AIDS, prompt diagnosis can minimize the spread and replication of the AIDS virus and the impact of serious opportunistic infections.
Planned Parenthood - Symptoms of AIDS include extreme fatigue, a thick white coating of the tongue known as thrush, frequent diarrhea, recurring fever, unusual skin rash and night sweats.
The NIG Medline Plus Magazine - Most people infected with AIDS can be asymptomatic for periods up to 10 years after initial infection.
University of California San Francisco Medical Center (UCSF) - AIDS symptoms become more prevalent as the T4 cells of the immune system become critically low, opening the body up to infection. Common symptoms include unexplained fatigue, unexplained weight loss, swollen lymph glands, and recurring fevers and night sweats.