MEDICAL CARE AND TREATMENTS
Being seropositive for HIV means someone is infected by HIV and can transmit it.
What are the virus’s targets?
When penetrating the body, HIV infects T4 (or CD4) lymphocytes. T4s are white cells and belong to the immune cells (or immune system), the natural defences of the body against diseases.
Once infected, a T4 is turned into a "factory" producing new viruses, something that will eventually exhaust and destroy it. The new viruses will in turn attack other T4s.
Once infected, a T4 is turned into a "factory" producing new viruses, something that will eventually exhaust and destroy it. The new viruses will in turn attack other T4s.
How does HIV infection develop?
From the days after the infection, the HIV actively multiplies itself and spreads into the body. A great number of T4s are destroyed. The immune system reacts by producing other T4s to replace them. A balance is found. However, as months or years pass, the immune system gets weaker and the number of T4s gets lower.
The immune system loses its ability to fight against the microbes naturally found in the body and in the environment. This weakening results in the occurrence of so called "opportunistic" diseases. The infected person is then said to have Aids (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
Aids is a disease corresponding to an advanced stage of HIV infection.
By regularly consulting an HIV specialist and making blood tests as prescribed, it is possible to know how the infection is developing and how the immune system is doing. Thus, the doctor will be able to prescribe an anti-HIV treatment when it becomes necessary.
In blood test results the doctor will particularly keep an eye on:
• The number of T4s. The more the immune system has been weakened, the less T4s there are. Before getting infected, there is generally more than 500 T4s/mm3 of blood (it is often more than 1,000). Under 350 T4s/mm3, it is recommended to start a treatment (2006 recommendation). With less than 200 T4s/mm3, the immune system has been seriously weakened and there are great risks of opportunistic infections (Aids). It then becomes urgent to start a treatment against HIV as well as taking medicines to prevent or treat opportunistic infections.
• The viral load, which measures virus quantities in the blood. The more the HIV multiplies in the body, the higher the viral load. Conversely, the less virus activity there is, the lower the viral load. It is said to be “undetectable" when tests are no longer able to measure it.
Beware – having an undetectable viral load does not mean there is no more HIV in the body. It is necessary to keep on taking the treatment, as well as having protected sexual intercourse (there is still HIV in the sperm and genital secretions).
The best way to fight the virus is to prevent it from multiplying. This is what the anti-HIV drugs are doing. The treatment has advantages as well as drawbacks: this is why the doctor don’t prescribe it every time, waiting instead for it to be really necessary.
To preserve your health, it is recommended that you start the treatment before you are sick, before the immune system has been weakened too much. This is why, today, many HIV infected people take a treatment while they are still in "good health".
Starting a treatment is rarely an urgency: thus, someone usually has time to get informed by his/her doctor, associations, and other people following a treatment so as to get prepared before starting an anti-HIV treatment.
The anti-HIV treatment aims at making the viral load undetectable in order to stop the multiplication of the HIV and preserve your health.
It is important to take your drugs every day, very regularly, following the chemist’s and doctor’s prescriptions and advice: this ensures you’ll always have enough drug in your blood to fight the HIV.
Some medicines must be taken before eating or drinking anything, while others, on the opposite, must be taken during or just after a meal. Ask your doctor and chemist to explain it all, talk with them about the best way to organise your daily drug intake. There are often many possibilities and it is important that you find the one which suits you the best.
For the drugs to be effective, you have to follow prescribed doses, number of takings per day, practical details regarding the taking (during meals or not) and number of hours between each taking.
If you are facing difficulties, look for help !
Anti-HIV drugs are active substances: thanks to them, the life expectancy and quality of life of HIV-positive persons have considerably increased over the last years. However, these medicines also have undesirable effects: they can cause health problems. Having a treatment is not always something easy!
• Before starting or modifying a treatment, take time to discuss it well with your doctor and ask him all questions you have. You can also talk about it with nurses and chemists.
• Seek advice from other persons following a treatment.
There are discussion groups on treatments in several AIDES delegations. However, do not modify your treatment without medical advice.
• If possible, get your friends and family involved so they understand better your situation and can help you not to forget to take your treatment, and are able to support you when your motivation is fading.
• Call your medical team if you have questions, if you are having difficulties in taking your treatment regularly or if you are feeling side effects: together with you, they will look for a way to address these problems.
• Get in touch with associations fighting Aids, like AIDES, to talk about the difficulties you are facing et get some information.
The immune system loses its ability to fight against the microbes naturally found in the body and in the environment. This weakening results in the occurrence of so called "opportunistic" diseases. The infected person is then said to have Aids (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
Aids is a disease corresponding to an advanced stage of HIV infection.
What is the medical follow-up for?
By regularly consulting an HIV specialist and making blood tests as prescribed, it is possible to know how the infection is developing and how the immune system is doing. Thus, the doctor will be able to prescribe an anti-HIV treatment when it becomes necessary.
In blood test results the doctor will particularly keep an eye on:
• The number of T4s. The more the immune system has been weakened, the less T4s there are. Before getting infected, there is generally more than 500 T4s/mm3 of blood (it is often more than 1,000). Under 350 T4s/mm3, it is recommended to start a treatment (2006 recommendation). With less than 200 T4s/mm3, the immune system has been seriously weakened and there are great risks of opportunistic infections (Aids). It then becomes urgent to start a treatment against HIV as well as taking medicines to prevent or treat opportunistic infections.
• The viral load, which measures virus quantities in the blood. The more the HIV multiplies in the body, the higher the viral load. Conversely, the less virus activity there is, the lower the viral load. It is said to be “undetectable" when tests are no longer able to measure it.
Beware – having an undetectable viral load does not mean there is no more HIV in the body. It is necessary to keep on taking the treatment, as well as having protected sexual intercourse (there is still HIV in the sperm and genital secretions).
Why follow anti-HIV treatments?
The best way to fight the virus is to prevent it from multiplying. This is what the anti-HIV drugs are doing. The treatment has advantages as well as drawbacks: this is why the doctor don’t prescribe it every time, waiting instead for it to be really necessary.
To preserve your health, it is recommended that you start the treatment before you are sick, before the immune system has been weakened too much. This is why, today, many HIV infected people take a treatment while they are still in "good health".
Starting a treatment is rarely an urgency: thus, someone usually has time to get informed by his/her doctor, associations, and other people following a treatment so as to get prepared before starting an anti-HIV treatment.
The anti-HIV treatment aims at making the viral load undetectable in order to stop the multiplication of the HIV and preserve your health.
Taking your treatment regularly
It is important to take your drugs every day, very regularly, following the chemist’s and doctor’s prescriptions and advice: this ensures you’ll always have enough drug in your blood to fight the HIV.
Some medicines must be taken before eating or drinking anything, while others, on the opposite, must be taken during or just after a meal. Ask your doctor and chemist to explain it all, talk with them about the best way to organise your daily drug intake. There are often many possibilities and it is important that you find the one which suits you the best.
For the drugs to be effective, you have to follow prescribed doses, number of takings per day, practical details regarding the taking (during meals or not) and number of hours between each taking.
If you are facing difficulties, look for help !
Anti-HIV drugs are active substances: thanks to them, the life expectancy and quality of life of HIV-positive persons have considerably increased over the last years. However, these medicines also have undesirable effects: they can cause health problems. Having a treatment is not always something easy!
A few suggestions:
• Before starting or modifying a treatment, take time to discuss it well with your doctor and ask him all questions you have. You can also talk about it with nurses and chemists.
• Seek advice from other persons following a treatment.
There are discussion groups on treatments in several AIDES delegations. However, do not modify your treatment without medical advice.
• If possible, get your friends and family involved so they understand better your situation and can help you not to forget to take your treatment, and are able to support you when your motivation is fading.
• Call your medical team if you have questions, if you are having difficulties in taking your treatment regularly or if you are feeling side effects: together with you, they will look for a way to address these problems.
• Get in touch with associations fighting Aids, like AIDES, to talk about the difficulties you are facing et get some information.
