Preview

Elizabeth Grundy Psychology: The Effects Of HIV And Its Effects

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1143 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Elizabeth Grundy Psychology: The Effects Of HIV And Its Effects
HIV And Its Effects 1 HIV And Its Effects Elizabeth Grundy Psychology 102 Dr Peggy Peach October 10, 2001 HIV And Its Effects 2 HIV AND Its Effects The effects HIV has on a person, symptoms, risks, history and prevention will be explained. HIV is on a rise among sexually active people. According to Packer (1998), HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), is a member of a family of viruses. The first member HTLV-I and related to STLV-I researchers believe they both have a common ancestor in Africa. (P.13).

This will be explained in the following questions: 1. What are the symptoms of HIV? 2. What are the risks to getting HIV? 3. What is the history of HIV? 4. What is the treatment for HIV? This research paper on
…show more content…
What are the symptoms of HIV? According to Nash (1997), when a person infected with HIV has symptoms such as fever, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue, and lymphadenopathy (persistent, unexplained swelling of the lymph nodes), but no opportunistic infections (illnesses that healthy immune systems fight off) or Kaposi 's sarcoma, he is said to have AIDS-related complex (ARC). The acronym ARC is not used as frequently as it was in the early years of the epidemic. AIDS is now thought of in term of a HIV continuum. It begins with HIV-positive diagnosis in a person who is not experiencing any symptoms. It continues to a symptomatic stage in which the person has opportunistic infections, HIV and Its Effects 3 andKaposi 's sarcoma, or any of the conditions previously used to define Arc, and the HIV-positive continuum ends with full-blown AIDS diagnosis …show more content…
(P 24).

According to Draimin (1995) the four common most ways HIV can get into the body, Dirty needles used to inject drugs, unprotected sexual intercourse, mother to fetus or new-born baby, and blood transfusion. (P.11) HIV is transferable through any kind of sexual contact: heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. The means of transferring the virus is unprotected sex. The safe guards against contracting HIV are to have sex only when you are ready, to know your partner, and to protect yourself from possible infection every time you have sex by using a condom. The HIV virus, like some other viruses cannot live outside the body. It is killed by air. HIV requires a warm, wet place to live and be carried only in blood, sexual fluids, and possibly saliva. Sexual transmission of HIV means that the virus goes from fluid to fluid (semen, vaginal, and blood). The virus has to pass from fluid to fluids to stay alive. (Pp25-26) 3. What is the History of HIV? HIV and Its Effects 4 Hyde and Forsyth (1996) In 1981, when the first mysterious cases of an unusual type of pneumonia began to appear, scientists have accumulated a large body of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    There is no cure for this disease, but medical advancements have produced treatments and therapies that allow infected individuals to function fairly normally and extend life expectancy. AIDS can be spread through any sexual contact as well as through blood via transfusions or needle sharing and from a mother to fetus or newborn. Initial infection may present flu-like symptoms. These include: diarrhea, fever, headache, sores, muscle soreness, rashes, sore throat, night sweats and swollen glands. However, many diagnosed with HIV/AIDS may present with no symptoms. In addition, it can be as long as 10 years before the virus is detected after infection. Most who become infected with HIV will develop AIDS eventually. Once the virus had progressed that far the immune system is significantly compromised and the individual is susceptible to many other threatening illnesses, particularly opportunistic infections. The long term effects of this syndrome include a plethora of medication and therapy to attempt to protect the body from illness and infection. Also, it is important for the individual to be aware and careful to prevent infecting others (HIV/AIDS…

    • 1942 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) can be traced through bodily fluids such as blood and semen which is caused by a virus named human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the efforts to track and forecast the incidence and cost of HIV and AIDS began in 1986 where researchers focused on identifying the people that are at high risk, finding out the geographical concentration of the diseases and coming up with an approximate number of people who are connected with HIV and AIDS.…

    • 1130 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nt1310 Unit 1 Assignment 1

    • 7619 Words
    • 31 Pages

    Following the discovery, the first test for HIV was approved in 1985. Over the years, medications to combat the virus were developed as well as medicine to prevent infection all without a successful result. HIV/AIDS remain one of the greatest health and social problem threatening humanity. The basic biology of the virus from inside out include RNA which contains all of its genetic information, a key enzymes it uses to replicates (reverse transcriptase) and a binding proteins that allow it to binds to human cell, (USAID,2007).…

    • 7619 Words
    • 31 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nt1310 Unit 1 Exercise 2

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    HIV causes AIDS. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It breaks down the immune system (our body's protection against disease). HIV causes people to become sick with infections that normally wouldn't affect them.…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is what causes AIDS. HIV destroys CD4 helper lymphocyte in the body which is a defense cell. The body’s immune system which helps fight off infections contains the CD4 lymphocytes. As HIV destroys the CD4 lymphocytes in the body, people start to get infections that they normally would not get. Once the HIV has destroyed the immune system the patient has acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).People with AIDS cannot fight off infections. There are several ways that HIV can be transmitted, such as; body fluids, breast milk, shared needles, from an infected person through semen, blood, and from infected mother to her baby during childbirth (Teens Health, 2009).…

    • 1732 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that affects the human immune system and leads to a stat makes the patient unable to fight against diseases and so opportunistic diseases such Tuberculosis and others affect the individual (Worthington et al., 2010). HIV/AIDS was first realized in 1981 by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and is believed to have originated from West-Central Africa. HIV/AIDS has been termed as one of the greatest causes of death in the global society (Gibbs, 2010). The virus is spread when body fluids of a victim gets into contact with the body fluids of another person. Due to the nature of the disease, even unsuspecting individuals such as patients undergoing blood transfusion, unborn babies and others can become victims. HIV is primarily spread through sexual intercourse without any form of protection (Ford et al., 2007; Gardezi et al., 2008).…

    • 2063 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    AIDS is the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome where the immunity is severely damaged and lowers the bodies ability to resistance infection. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. Fluid from an infected person much encounter a mucous membrane, the bloodstream, or a cut or injured area of another person to transmit the virus ((Davis). Early symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and a sore throat within two to four weeks of being infected. There are three phases to the disease. Thee first stage includes the acute infection and many people do not experience any symptoms. The second stage is known as clinical latency and means that the virus is dormant and reproduces much slower rate than in the acute phase. The second stage can last for one decade although it sometimes progresses faster. The third stage is AIDS. Individuals have low T-cell counts and compromised immune system that make them easily susceptible to infections and cancer (Davis). Social and economic consequence of HIV include loss of job and income, decreased family income, increased expenses for seeking care, and greater economic consequence, shown by selling assets. Those with AIDS deal with the social measures of being discriminated against along with their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. The disease can lead to a weakened family support…

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    HIV illness signifies a continuum of infection that starts with a concise severe retroviral disease that normally changes to a long-lasting and pathologically dormant infection. If treatment is not provided right away this disease in the end develops to immunodeficiency disease identified as AIDS. If left untreated the period connecting the HIV Illness and the progression of AIDS fluctuates, alternating from a couple months to several years with a projected average period of roughly 11 years (CDC, 2011). Research displays that the viruses are taking an increasing toll on girls and women in the United States. The statistics showed women with AIDS rise 8% to 27% from 1985 to 2005 and these figures are even larger worldwide…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hippa Violations Analysis

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome referred to as AIDS (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010). Left untreated, HIV can damage the immune system that can lead to AIDS. When the initial diagnosis becomes established the patient has many adjustments to overcome. Feelings of shame, guilt, denial, depression, fear, anger and shock are the beginning of the ramifications one must face with HIV and AIDS. Other ramifications include social, legal, and ethical issues. Whereas a diagnosis of HIV does not mean that the patient has AIDS, a diagnosis does mean that the patient will be thrust into an overwhelming state of emotion and…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hca 220 Final

    • 1879 Words
    • 8 Pages

    AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is related to HIV, but they are not the same at all. A person has AIDS only in the final stages of HIV, after the immune system becomes unable to defend itself against foreign invaders like bacteria, other viruses, and fungi, and allows for the development of certain cancers. As the virus (HIV) grows, it damages or kills most cells, weakening the immune system and leaving the individual vulnerable to various opportunistic infections and other illnesses, ranging from pneumonia to cancer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines someone as having a clinical diagnosis of AIDS if they have tested positive for HIV. It is very important that you always protect yourself from these types of illnesses. Each day there are Americans who are affected with this virus due to not taking care of themselves or unprotected sex which is the main cause of this disease. One out of 250 people are affected with this disease. Most of the time people who carry it do not even know that they are carrying it. You must always go get checked to be safe and make sure that you are not a carrier of the disease. A person who is HIV-infected carries the virus in certain body fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk. The virus can be transmitted only if such HIV-infected fluids enter the bloodstream of another person. This kind of direct entry can occur (1) through the linings of the vagina, rectum, mouth, and the opening at the tip of the penis; (2) through intravenous injection with a syringe; or (3) through a break…

    • 1879 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    When it comes to HIV or Aids after sometime things might get worse and your immune system becomes weaker, this disease affects a certain cell in the body called the T-cell and these are the cells that fight off infections or certain sicknesses that try to hurt the body. A result of this is getting sick or very sick more often when someone is infected with either of these diseases and any simple sickness could be a fatal one when someone has AIDS or HIV. You are first diagnosed with this disease once your doctor notices a low count in your T-cells in your blood. Before HIV can turn into AIDS there are usually four stages that the person has to go through before this first being the initial infection, the response the body gives, the symptom phase and then finally AIDS. As far as transmission from one person to another with this disease there are four ways each having a higher content of the disease in order. Each can infect someone with the virus first being blood, followed by semen, vaginal liquid and finally breast milk. When given these…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    HIV/AIDS, Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Epidemiology HIV Paper

    • 1369 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The symptoms of HIV vary, depending on which phase of infection is in. The majority of the population who is infected with HIV usually presents flu-like symptoms approximately 1-2 months after contracting the virus. Possible signs and symptoms include: sore throat, rash, chills, diarrhea, headache, fever, muscle aches, ulcers in the mouth or genitals, pain in the joints, swollen lymph glands, and night sweats. Clinical latent infection usually can last anywhere from 8-10 years. It is possible for some people to remain in this stage even longer than 10 years. Some other people may progress to a more serious stage sooner than this time frame. In order to become infected with HIV, body fluids or secretions such as semen, blood, or vaginal secretions need to enter the body. Vaginal, oral, or anal sex with a person infected is also means of transmission for this virus. Rectal or vaginal tears, and mouth sores are also ways the virus can enter the body. HIV can also be transmitted from blood transfusions, by sharing contaminated needles and syringes, and during pregnancy, delivery of the baby or through breastfeeding. The mother can significantly reduce the chances of her…

    • 1369 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “HIV is the virus that causes AIDS” (2010). The virus weakens the body’s defense system, this makes it hard on the body to fight off other health problems and as time goes by the body becomes less able to fight off diseases. In the United States there was one in four new cases, which women account for and two in three are African American women who got HIV from unprotected sex with a man.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Certified Nurse Assistant

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I am writing my essay on a virus that is well known around the whole world known as the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and also Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). I used this medical condition due to the fact that it was interesting to learn about. I wanted to find out what causes this type of virus since it is one of the most common human epidemic in the world today especially the United States Of America. What I have learned during my investigation and research it is very knowledgable information. As I was learning how to prevent and treat humans. Most of the articles I found point to how the HIV /AIDS can change human , psychological thinking, physical and emotional behaviors and its effects.…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics