Therapy of AIDS

Differentiation between AIDS and HIV

AIDS (A.cquired I.mmunne D.eficiency S.syndrome German: Immunodeficiency syndrome) describes the combination of symptoms that occur as a result of an infection with the HI virus. HIV describes the contagious virus, AIDS the resulting disease. A person infected with HIV does not have to suffer from AIDS as long as the virus has not broken out in the body.

How is AIDS therapy carried out?

The therapy of HIV infection (AIDS disease) consists of several important pillars. Drug therapy alone is not enough for this disease.

Patients with AIDS should go to one healthy lifestyle look out for other factors that reduce your immune system. The common ones opportunistic infections and their complications must be avoided or treated. In addition to the individually designed psychosocial help, is of course the real one HIV antiretroviral therapy the most important measure.

This so-called HAIR (Highly active antiretroviral therapy) is structured as follows:

There are many different preparations available for AIDS therapy. It should be ensured that a combination treatment with at least three antiretroviral agents he follows. This is necessary in order to prevent or at least delay the development of resistance in the HI viruses.
As a rule, the AIDS therapy two so-called NRTI (nukleosid R.everse - Transcriptase I.inhibitors) and a NNRTI (Nnot - nukleosid R.everse - Transcriptase I.inhibitors) administered. These are drugs that are supposed to curb virus replication by using the enzyme "reverse transcriptase“Which is responsible for the transcription of the viral RNA into reproducible DNA. Also PI (Protease I.Inhibitors) are used.

Such AIDS therapy is indicated, i.e. required or recommended, for:

• any symptomatic HIV infection
• every asymptomatic HIV infection in which the number of T helper cells falls below a certain value (below 350 /? l)
• asymptomatic patients with a T helper cell count over 350 /? l but an increased viral load (30,000 - 50,000 virus copies /? l)

In order to ensure a successful AIDS therapy, the absolutely reliable intake of the medication by the patient is essential. This is the only way to contain the development of resistance.

Furthermore, those affected can also use alternative healing methods or the homeopathy to grab. There are several remedies that are said to have different effects:

• Therapy: Substitution of Vitamins (especially A, C, E)
  Effect: Antioxidant effect against oxygen radicals
• Therapy: Substitution of Trace elements (especially selenium, zinc)
  Effect: Positive effect on the immune system
• Therapy: Immune stimulation (especially through Echinacin)
  Effect: Stimulation and support of the immune system

All these homeopathic procedure are also used in other patients and are not specially tailored to the HIV infected person.

Side effects of AIDS therapy

1. Metabolic syndrome
   Metabolic disorders often occur during therapy / administration of NRTIs and PIs. The most common occurrences are triglyceride and LDL cholesterol increases and HDL cholesterol decrease. But also Insulin resistance with increased blood sugar or diabetes mellitus = diabetes are possible.
2. Lipodystrophy syndrome
   A distinction must be made here between fat loss and fat gain. These can occur individually or together. The following disorders of fat distribution can be observed:
   • buffalo hump: increase in fat in the neck
   • Abdominal fat gain: accumulation of fat on the abdomen
   • Fat increase in the breast: especially in women
   • Lipoatrophy: fat loss
3. Changes in the skin
   Exanthema (skin rash) that have a flat, nodular appearance are particularly typical here. They usually affect the patient's trunk, are symmetrically distributed, and can be very itchy.
4. Hypersensitivity
   As with almost all drugs, allergic reactions can also occur here. At around 3%, however, they are rather rare. Symptoms usually appear within six weeks of starting therapy. Here, too, there is a rash.