HIV/AIDS in Older Adults
HIV is the abbreviation for Human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is an enveloped retrovirus which interferes with your body 's ability to fight the organisms by damaging your immune system. HIV is a sexually transmitted infection. It can also be spread by contact with infected blood, from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth, breast-feeding and so on. HIV affects the immune system, especially CD4 cells, or T cells. Over time, HIV destroys immune system; the body can’t fight off infections and disease (HIV/AIDS 101, 2015).
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, but everyone who has HIV does not advance to this stage. AIDS is the stage of infection that occurs when the immune system is badly damaged and the individual becomes vulnerable to opportunistic infections. When the number of your CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood (200 cells/ mm3), one is considered to have progressed to AIDS (HIV/AIDS 101, 2015). If one develops one or more opportunistic …show more content…
In particular, they commonly face health problems and stigma. The health problems may be age-associated disease states that often manifest earlier with an HIV diagnosis or that may be due to HIV or even HIV treatments. Individuals living with HIV are at a high risk at a younger age for health problems typically associated with old age, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, and osteoporosis (Moore, Moore, Thompson, Vahia, Grant & Jeste, 2013). In addition to this, quality of life among individuals aging with HIV is adversely affected by stigma and discrimination. Individuals aging with HIV have limited familial and social support, social isolation causes increase in depression, suicidal ideation, and additional mental health problems like anxiety, loneliness (Badiee, Moore, Atkinson, Vaida, Gerard & Duarte,
HIV is the abbreviation for Human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is an enveloped retrovirus which interferes with your body 's ability to fight the organisms by damaging your immune system. HIV is a sexually transmitted infection. It can also be spread by contact with infected blood, from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth, breast-feeding and so on. HIV affects the immune system, especially CD4 cells, or T cells. Over time, HIV destroys immune system; the body can’t fight off infections and disease (HIV/AIDS 101, 2015).
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, but everyone who has HIV does not advance to this stage. AIDS is the stage of infection that occurs when the immune system is badly damaged and the individual becomes vulnerable to opportunistic infections. When the number of your CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood (200 cells/ mm3), one is considered to have progressed to AIDS (HIV/AIDS 101, 2015). If one develops one or more opportunistic …show more content…
In particular, they commonly face health problems and stigma. The health problems may be age-associated disease states that often manifest earlier with an HIV diagnosis or that may be due to HIV or even HIV treatments. Individuals living with HIV are at a high risk at a younger age for health problems typically associated with old age, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, and osteoporosis (Moore, Moore, Thompson, Vahia, Grant & Jeste, 2013). In addition to this, quality of life among individuals aging with HIV is adversely affected by stigma and discrimination. Individuals aging with HIV have limited familial and social support, social isolation causes increase in depression, suicidal ideation, and additional mental health problems like anxiety, loneliness (Badiee, Moore, Atkinson, Vaida, Gerard & Duarte,