The Battle Against AIDS
AIDS is the final, life-threatening stage of infection with human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome. The name refers to the fact that HIV severely damages the
patient's disease-fighting immune system. Cases of AIDS were first
identified in 1981 in the United States, but researchers have traced cases
to as early as 1959. Millions of AIDS cases have been diagnosed worldwide.
AIDS is caused by two viruses that belong to a group called
retroviruses. The AIDS virus was isolated by researchers in France in 1983
and researchers in the United States in 1984. The virus became known as
HIV-1. In 1985, scientists in France identified ...
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of these cells, the virus
inserts its genes into the cell's reproductive system and uses it to
produce more HIV. This infection kills the CD4 cell and spreads AIDS
viruses to other CD4 cells, where the process is repeated.
HIV can be present in the body for 2 to 12 or more years without
producing any outward sign of illness. An infected person can transmit the
virus to another person whether or not symptoms are present. Infection
with HIV appears to be lifelong in all who become infected. People
infected with HIV eventually develop symptoms that also may be caused by
other, less serious conditions. With HIV infection, however, these
symptoms are prolonged and often more severe. They include enlarged lymph
glands, tiredness, fever, loss of appetite and weight, diarrhea, yeast
infections of the mouth and vagina, and night sweats.
HIV commonly causes a severe "wasting syndrome," resulting in
substantial weight loss, a general decline in health, and, in some ...
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a form of cancer that usually
arises in the skin. The tumors may look like bruises, but they grow.
Cytomegalovirus retinitis is an eye infection that can cause blindness.
Another illness that defines AIDS in HIV-infected people is tuberculosis, a
severe bacterial infection that usually affects the lungs. For many
decades, the number of cases of tuberculosis in the United States declined
steadily. However, in the mid-1980's, doctors noticed a growing number of
cases of tuberculosis in people infected with HIV. People with HIV are
especially vulnerable to tuberculosis because of their damaged immune
systems. An HIV-infected person may develop AIDS from 2 to 12 or more
years after ...
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The Battle Against AIDS. (2006, April 7). Retrieved November 22, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Battle-Against-AIDS/43983
"The Battle Against AIDS." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 7 Apr. 2006. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Battle-Against-AIDS/43983>
"The Battle Against AIDS." Essayworld.com. April 7, 2006. Accessed November 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Battle-Against-AIDS/43983.
"The Battle Against AIDS." Essayworld.com. April 7, 2006. Accessed November 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Battle-Against-AIDS/43983.
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