HIV/AIDS
Treatments and Studies
With proper
treatment and care from an HIV specialist, patients can lead quality, productive
lives. Being
HIV+ means that a person has been exposed to the HIV virus, has mounted an antibody
response to the virus and is now testing positive; the antibodies are now in the
system. HIV/AIDS
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Having
a diagnosis of AIDS means that a person is HIV+ and also meets at least one of
the over 20 Center for Disease Control (CDC) definitions of AIDS, such as the
following: -
T-cells are less than 200
-
PCP (Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia) - a form of pneumonia
-
invasive cervical cancer
-
lymphoma (a kind of cancer) in various forms
-
wasting syndrome
-
Kaposis sarcoma (another kind of cancer)
-
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) - opportunistic infection that we see in HIV+ people whose
immune systems are severely compromised
-
Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC) - another opportunistic infection
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