HIV/AIDS Overview Quiz

HIV/AIDS

• Origin and Initial Cases: Information on the origin and initial cases in the US is missing.
• Early Signs: Initial infection may present with flu-like symptoms (headache, fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes) within a month or two. Symptoms resolve after a week. HIV is highly contagious during this phase.
• Later Signs: Severe symptoms may not appear for 10+ years in adults or 2+ years in children. During the asymptomatic period, the virus continues to spread, destroying T helper cells (CD4 counts decline). Symptoms may include: swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, pelvic inflammatory disease, fever/sweats, weight loss, yeast infections, rashes/dry skin, and short-term memory loss.
• Transmission: Transmission occurs through vaginal, vulvar, rectal, penile, and oral sex. Sharing drug needles/syringes with an infected individual. Mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding is possible. Risk of infection from blood remains.
• Testing:
• Early Detection: Often asymptomatic, detectable only by blood, urine, or saliva tests.
• Blood Tests: Detect HIV antigens or antibodies; antibodies may not appear for 1-4 months (up to 6 months to enough antibodies for detection).
• Antibody Tests: ELISA, EIA, Rapid HIV tests; most common.
• Western Blot: Confirms positive antibody results to rule out false positives.
• Antigen Tests: Detects HIV 1-3 weeks after exposure.
• Fourth-Generation Algorithm: Combines antibody/antigen tests for earlier detection of both HIV-1 and HIV-2.
• Home Tests: OraQuick In-Home HIV Test (oral swab, results in ~20 minutes), Home Access HIV-1 Test System (blood sample sent to lab).
• Viral Load Monitoring: Measures HIV viral levels to predict risk of progression to AIDS and related complications or death, as it correlates with risk.

Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP)

• Symptoms: Fever, cough, difficulty breathing are indicative symptoms.

Kaposi's Sarcoma

• Symptoms: Two forms of cancer appearing as purplish blotches on the skin.

Candidiasis

• Symptoms: A yeast infection sometimes present in the mouth, esophagus, and vagina.

Lupus

• Symptoms:
• General Symptoms: Fever, weight loss, headache, fatigue, swollen glands, depression, loss of appetite, nausea/vomiting, easy bruising, hair loss, edema.
• Suggestive Signs: Rash on cheeks and bridge of nose, sun-induced rashes, arthritis in multiple joints, seizures, bald spots, discoid lupus lesions, mouth ulcers, pleurisy, anemia, Raynaud's phenomenon (fingers turning white/blue).
• Diagnosis: Based on symptoms and blood tests (autoantibodies, ANA- antinuclear antibody). Urine tests for protein, red blood cells, and white blood cells are also conducted. While 99% of lupus patients have a positive ANA, only 33% with a positive ANA have SLE - systemic lupus erythematosus.

Benign vs. Malignant Tumors

• Benign Tumors: Usually slow-growing, do not invade other tissues, do not spread. Problems mainly arise if they grow in confined spaces, like the brain.
• Malignant Tumors (Cancer):
• Cell Structure: Altered cell structure (larger nuclei, irregular chromatin, prominent nucleoli).
• Growth Control: Lack normal growth controls, grow unorganized and rapidly.
• Contact Inhibition: Lack contact inhibition, continue growing and invading tissues.
• Growth Factors: Do not respond to growth factors (normal cell growth triggers).
• Immune Surveillance: Frequently escape the immune system.
• Invasive: Destroy normal tissue, spread throughout the body via lymphatic/blood vessels
• Metastasis: Can travel and implant in other parts of the body.
• Metabolic Rate: Have a higher metabolic rate.

Cancer Classification

• Cellular Origin: Classified by the tissue origin: carcinomas (epithelial), sarcomas (connective), leukemias (blood/blood-forming), lymphomas (lymph tissue).
• Differentiation: Classified by how similar the cancer cell resembles the normal cell it originated from; well-differentiated (similar to normal cells), poorly/undifferentiated (very abnormal).
• Grading: Based on the degree of differentiation (Grade 1 = well-differentiated to Grade III/IV= undifferentiated). Grading and staging predict prognosis.