Human

immunodeficiency
virus
 What is Human immunodeficiency
virus ?
 Human immunodeficiency
The HIV Virus
virus, is the virus that causes
AIDS.
 AIDS, or acquired immune
deficiency syndrome, is a
disease of the human immune
system.
 It is the most deadly and
apparently, the most recent of
all sexually transmitted
diseases.
  HIV is a lentivirus,
belonging to the retrovirus
family.

 The virions are enveloped,

slightly pleomorphic,
spherical, and measure
Characteristics of N. gonorrhoeae: about 0.1 microns in
diameter.
Size: 0.6 to 1.0 um in diameter
 The outer surface appear
Shape: Diplococci
rough and has seventy-two
Gram stain: Negative spike like molecules,
Motile: No constructed of
glycoproteins gp 120 and
Colony Morphology: Rough and gp 42. These spikes are
irregular surface
important in the way that
Oxygen Needs: Aerobic the virus causes disease.
 Humans are the primary reservoir of HIV. Once the virus is
inside the body, it targets two other types of lymphocytes, the T-
helper and T-suppressor cells, which regulate the immune system
by controlling the strength and quality of all immune responses .
HIV inserts its genetic material into the T-cells, replicates inside
the cells, and eventually destroys it.

The immune system

controls such spread at
first, but is eventually
outmaneuvered by the
virus.

This picture shows the

HIV virus crippling an
immune cell.
 HIV CAN BE SPREAD IN THREE WAYS:

1.Sexual transmission

2.Contact with infected blood

• transfusion of an infected blood or blood products
• organ transplantation
• a stick with a needle that has infected blood on it
• an exchange of needles or other infected paraphernalia
• contamination with infected blood on mucous membranes or through a break in
the skin

3. Transmission from mother to fetus during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding

 STAGES OF HIV INFECTION: Initial Symptoms if they do
occur, can be mistaken for flu
I. The primary or acute infection and can include:
• Is a period of rapid viral
replication •Fever
• Immediately follows the
individual’s exposure to HIV •Fatigue
II. The Latent phase •Sore throat
• Patient will show no symptoms
• May last up to ten years
•Headache
III. Early symptomatic HIV infection •Muscle aches
• Symptoms reappear
•Nausea
IV. The final stage known as AIDS
• Immune system has been severely
•Lack of appetite
damaged
• Cellular immunity is lost
•Swollen glands
• Fewer than 200 CD4+ T-cells per
microliter of blood •Generalized rash
Most Common Symptoms of AIDS:

•Extreme weakness and fatigue

•Swollen lymph glands

•Rapid weight loss

•Stubborn cough COMPLICATIONS MAY INCLUDE:

•Coated tongue and throat •Abscess

•Kaposi’s Sarcoma
•Easy bruising and unexplained •Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC)
bleeding •Encephalitis
•Nerve damage
•Frequent fever, night sweats •HIV encephalopathy
•AIDS dementia complex
•Bumps, rashes, tumors •Lymphoma
•Opportunistic infections like,
•Trouble recovering from common toxoplasmosis
•Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP)
illnesses such as cold or flu
 After infection with HIV:
The net median survival time without treatment is estimated 9-11 years,
depending on the subtype of HIV. After AIDS diagnosis, the median survival
rate without treatment ranges between 6-19 months.
The virus is usually detected in the blood and body fluids such as:
• Semen
• Vaginal fluid
• Breast milk

 Current HIV tests use blood samples like: Rapid HIV test (either blood sample or
oral fluids:
 ELISA also known as EIA •Antigen test (P24 test)
•PCR test also known as viral load test
 Confirmatory antibody tests that include: and HIV NAAT
•Home testing test like OraQuick HIV ½
Western blot assay rapid test kit

Indirect immunoflourescence

Line immunoassay
TREATMENT:

The current treatment for HIV

HIV –U.S.
infection consists of highly active
The HIV epidemic in the U.S. is not over, and
antiretroviral therapy or HAART.
has been worst than was previously estimated,
with 56,300 people newly infected with HIV
It consists of combinations or
in 2006.
(cocktails) consisting of two
This estimate is significantly higher than the
nucleoside analogue reverse
CDC’s previous estimate of 40,000 new HIV
transcriptase inhibitor (NARTIs) plus a
infections per year. Over 1 million people in
protease inhibitor or a non-nucleoside
the U.S. are living with HIV, and one in five
reverse transcriptase inhibitor
with the HIV infection do not know they are
(NNRTI).
infected.
NURSING MANAGEMENT:
•Assessment
History and Physical
Psychosocial History

•Nursing Diagnosis
Specific to systemic, psycho-social or body system responses to HIV

•Planning
Develop a plan that will work by collaborating with health care team
Give patient every chance to make decisions that will affect the outcome
of his nursing care
Implementation:

•Monitor for outward signs of infection and for symptoms of opportunistic

infections.

•Standard precautions:
Prevention of secondary infections, handwashing

•Supportive care:
Pain management, help prepare meals, TPN
•Education:
Patient and family - transmission/prevention of HIV, medicaton
administration, and side effects of medications

Evaluation
Determine whether the expected outcomes have been met
GOAL 13: PREVENT HIV INFECTION AND ITS RELATED
ILLNESS AND DEATH

 OBJECTIVE 21.10: Confine annual incidence of

diagnosed AIDS cases among adolescents and adults to
no more than 12 per 100,000 population.

 OBJECTIVE 21.11: Increase years of healthy life on an

individual infected with HIV by extending the interval of
time between an initial diagnosis of HIV infection and
AIDS diagnosis and between AIDS diagnosis and death.