healh-aids

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome , commonly known as AIDS , is a global pandemic caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV . HIV is an RNA (Ribo Nucleic Acid ) virus that binds to the CD4 molecule found predominantly on a subset of T-lymphocytes . It infects different types of white blood cells including monocytes and macrophages . Once infected HIV causes a range of T cell abnormalities including reduction in T cell count , impaired expression of cytokine receptors and decreased production of immunoglobulins from B cells . It can also cause reduction in

B- lymphocytes as well as monocyte and macrophage abnormalities Altogether HIV infection results in the development of the syndrome called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS ) where the immune responses are depressed . This could lead to the development of systemic infections caused by organisms like fungi which are normally non-pathogenic . ADDIN EN .CITE Cotran R .S .199931Cotran R .S , Kumar V , Collins T .1999Diseases of immunityCotran R .S , Kumar V , Collins T .Robbins Pathologic Basis of DiseaseSingaporeHarcourt Asia Pte Ltd1236-2516th (Cotran R .S

The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome was first recognized in the United States in the summer of 1981 , when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ) reported the unexplained occurrence of a rare pneumonia in five previously healthy homosexual men . In 1983 HIV was isolated from a patient with lymphadenopathy and in 1984 it was identified as the causative agent for AIDS . ADDIN EN .CITE Fauci19989 7Fauci , A .S Lane , H .C .1998Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV ) Disease : AIDS and related dissFauci A .S Braunwald E , Isselbacher K .J , Wilson J .D , Martin J .B , Kasper D .L Hauser S .L , Longo D .L .Harrison apo s s Principles of Internal MedicineNew YorkMcGraw-Hill4th (Fauci ) The last twenty years saw an exponential growth in the number of patients infected with HIV which sweeped across the globe as a silent epidemic . Presently it has become a universally dreaded infection with patients presenting in increasing numbers to family practice physicians , internal medicine physicians , gynecologists , pediatricians and surgeons

World Health Organization (WHO ) estimates the number of HIV cases among adults to be approximately 22 million worldwide and among children it is estimated to be one million . WHO estimates that approximately 2 .6 million HIV infected children have been born since the start of the HIV pandemic . Although AIDS was first recognized in the US , shortly thereafter it was identified in Western Europe and Sub Saharan Africa In Sub-Saharan African countries such as Uganda , more than 10 of the entire population may be infected . In Zimbabwe , the estimated HIV infected population in 1996 was 11 .8 million . ADDIN EN .CITE Hore199711 1997S epAIDS and private health costs in Zimbabwe2-6Hore R .SAfAIDS News Acquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAfricaAfrica South of the SaharaAfrica , EasternDelivery of Health CareDeveloping CountriesDiseaseEconomics Fees and ChargesFinancial Management HIV InfectionsHealth Health Services TherapeuticsVirus DiseasesZimbabwevoluntary health funds , which are known as medical aid societies This explores the impact of AIDS on direct health costs covered bymedical aid societies particularly those by the Commercial and...