Immune System Disorders

Here are definitions of medical terms related to AIDS And Women. AIDS: Acquired immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) syndrome, an advanced stage of a viral infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Antibodies: Proteins produced by the immune system to fight infectious agents, such as viruses Antigen: A substance that stimulates the production of antibodies Antiretroviral drugs: Chemicals that […]

Here are some reliable sources that can provide more information on AIDS And Women. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1-800-311-3435 http://www.cdc.gov/ U.S. National Library of Medicine Web site http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ AIDS.org, a nonprofit organization designed to inform and educate using the Web http://www.aids.org AIDS Legislative Update and Resources, a Web site designed to

AIDS stands for Acquired imunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) Syndrome. It results from infection with a virus called HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This virus infects key cells in the human body called CD4-positive (CD4+) T cells. These cells are part of the body’s immune system, which fights infections and various cancers. When HIV

HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus. Like all viruses, it must invade the cells of other organisms to survive and reproduce. HIV multiplies in the human immune system’s CD4+ T cells and kills vast numbers of the cells it infects. The result is disease symptoms. Nice To Know: There are two forms

HIV infection is spread in three ways: Sexual intercourse Direct contact with infected blood From an infected mother to her unborn child However, there is much misunderstanding about the ways in which HIV infection is not spread. About one out of every three people in the U.S. infected with HIV, the virus that can lead to

Most people newly infected with the HIV virus show few, if any, symptoms for a few years. But during this asymptomatic period, HIV is actively multiplying, infecting, and killing cells in the immune system, particularly CD4+ T cells. People are very infectious during this early phase. As the immune system weakens, symptoms begin to emerge. Early Symptoms

A blood test is used to confirm whether a woman has been infected with HIV. Any woman who has engaged in risky behavior, such as sharing drug-injecting equipment or having unprotected sexual contact with an infected person or with someone whose HIV status is unknown, should consider being tested. A positive HIV test result does

A woman who tests positive for HIV should take steps to protect her own health and the health of others. The CDC recommends that people with HIV infection: Promptly seek care from a physician or medical service, even if they feel well. Early treatment, preferably under the guidance of a doctor with experience treating people

When AIDS first surfaced in the United States, no drugs were available to combat the underlying immune deficiency, and few treatments existed for the opportunistic infections that resulted. Over the past 10 years, however, therapies have been developed to fight both HIV infection and its associated infections and cancers. Although there is no treatment currently available that