Aids how does it affect

Caring with confidence 7 Page 8 9. They may have lost a mother or a father or both. It is estimated that: nine million children have already lost a mother because of AIDS at least 30 million children in the world are living with HIV-positive parents and are at risk of being orphaned in the future by , over 40 million under fives in Asia, Africa and Latin America will have lost one or both parents because of AIDS. In Thailand, over , children - a third of them under five - are expected to lose their mothers because of AIDS by Loss of a parent or parents can affect young children in many ways.

The effects vary from country to country and depend on culture, social and family structures, and legal systems. For example, in some countries, children may lose their rights to property or land. In others, where many children have lost their parents, family support systems are under great strain. Young children may be cared for by grand-parents or older siblings who are unable to cope or to afford extra food and clothing, or they may be cared for reluctantly by relatives who already have too many demands.

In these circumstances, young children are less likely to be sent to school and more likely to be expected to work at a very young age to contribute to household finances.

They may be seen as a burden, especially young girls because they may need to be provided with a dowry or because they will marry out of the family and therefore not contribute financially. As well as having to cope with loss, grief and confusion, children from families affected by HIV and AIDS may be stigmatised and rejected and not allowed to play with other children.

They may be denied health care, either because it is assumed that they too have HIV infection or because carers cannot afford treatment costs. Young children who are not infected are also more vulnerable to illness and death if they receive less adequate care either because their parents are sick or because their parents have died.

The health of under fives who do not have a mother is generally worse than that of those who do. The mother is relied on to bring a child for immunisations, to seek treatment for childhood illness and to ensure that a child is well nourished. Health education messages about all these issues are usually targeted at the mother.

Grandmothers or siblings may know less about good nutrition, have less time, energy or patience to feed a young child or be less able to travel to clinics or immunisation centres. Future health education strategies will need to target a wider range of carers, or larger numbers of children will be at risk of illness and poor health. Caring with confidence 8 Page 9 Key Points Children without parents and displaced children are more vulnerable to rape and sexual abuse, and the associated risk of HIV infection.

Children without parents or who are not living with their parents because of war or economic reasons, are more vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation. Refugee and displaced children are particularly vulnerable. Sexual abuse of children is a taboo subject and rarely reported, and until recently was thought to occur infrequently in developing countries.

However, there is growing evidence of very young children being infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases STDs following sexual abuse and rape. Although it is usually older children, especially girls, who are most at risk of sexual exploitation, younger children are also vulnerable to sexual abuse.

Often it is only when a child needs treatment for an STD that people become aware that there is a problem of sexual abuse. One study in Zimbabwe found that, in , children aged under 12 years had been treated at the genito-urinary clinic in the capital city, Harare, for STD. In another Zimbabwean study of 54 sexually abused children in Bulawayo, one girl was only two years old.

Twelve of these 54 children were tested for HIV and four were found to be positive. Without family support, education or skills, orphaned children from families affected by AIDS may themselves grow up to be more vulnerable to HIV infection through starting sexual activity at a young age to support themselves.

If orphans themselves become HIV infected, they have no parents available to care for them when they are sick or to act as grandparents to their own children. Key Points Children can be infected with HIV through mother-to-child transmission, contaminated blood transfusions, unsterile medical equipment, or sexual abuse. Connect Practical information for health workers, educators and community carers on HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted infections covering care, support and prevention.

Key Points. Children can be infected with HIV through mother-to-child transmission, contaminated blood transfusions, unsterile medical equipment, or sexual abuse. Every day an estimated 1, children become infected with HIV, mostly in the developing world. In Malawi, HIV infection contributes to 17 per cent of the infant mortality rate number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1, live births of per 1, live births. Children without parents and displaced children are more vulnerable to rape and sexual abuse, and the associated risk of HIV infection.

Rehydration Project. Health Education to Villages. Mother and Child Nutrition. The disease is more frequent in men than in women. Onset is common during mid-life. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy PML primarily affects individuals with suppressed immune systems including nearly 5 percent of people with AIDS.

Symptoms include various types of mental deterioration, vision loss, speech disturbances, ataxia inability to coordinate movements , paralysis, brain lesions, and, ultimately, coma. Some individuals may also have compromised memory and cognition, and seizures may occur.

PML is relentlessly progressive and death usually occurs within 6 months of initial symptoms. However, immune reconstitution with highly active antiretroviral therapy allows survival of more than half of HIV-associated PML cases in the current treatment era.

Psychological and neuropsychiatric disorders can occur in different phases of the HIV infection and AIDS and may take various and complex forms. Some illnesses, such as AIDS dementia complex, are caused directly by HIV infection of the brain, while other conditions may be triggered by the drugs used to combat the infection. Individuals may experience anxiety disorder, depressive disorders, increased thoughts of suicide, paranoia, dementia, delirium, cognitive impairment, confusion, hallucinations, behavioral abnormalities, malaise, and acute mania.

Toxoplasma encephalitis , also called cerebral toxoplasmosis, occurs in about 10 percent of untreated AIDS patients. It is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii , which is carried by cats, birds, and other animals and can be found in soil contaminated by cat feces and sometimes in raw or undercooked meat.

Once the parasite invades the immune system, it remains there; however, the immune system in a healthy person can fight off the parasite, preventing disease. Symptoms include encephalitis, fever, severe headache that does not respond to treatment, weakness on one side of the body, seizures, lethargy, increased confusion, vision problems, dizziness, problems with speaking and walking, vomiting, and personality changes.

Not all patients show signs of the infection. Antibiotic therapy, if used early, will generally control the complication. Vacuolar myelopathy causes the protective myelin sheath to pull away from nerve cells of the spinal cord, forming small holes called vacuoles in nerve fibers. Symptoms include weak and stiff legs and unsteadiness when walking. Walking becomes more difficult as the disease progresses and many patients eventually require a wheelchair.

Some people also develop AIDS dementia. Vacuolar myelopathy may affect up to 30 percent of untreated adults with AIDS and its incidence may be even higher in HIV-infected children. The physician may order laboratory tests and one or more of the following procedures to help diagnose neurological complications of AIDS.

Brain imaging can reveal signs of brain inflammation, tumors and CNS lymphomas, nerve damage, bleeding, white matter irregularities, and other abnormalities. Several painless imaging procedures are used to help diagnose neurological complications of AIDS. Electromyography , or EMG, is used to diagnose nerve and muscle dysfunction, including spinal cord disease, nerve fiber damage, and other nerve problems caused by the HIV virus.

It records spontaneous muscle activity and muscle activity driven by the peripheral nerves. Biopsy is the removal of tissue from the body for examination. A brain biopsy, which involves the surgical removal of a small piece of the brain or tumor, is used to diagnose a tumor, inflammation, or another brain irregularity.

Unlike most other biopsies, it requires hospitalization and carries its own risks. Muscle or nerve biopsies can help diagnose neuromuscular problems. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis can detect bleeding in the brain, infections of the brain or spinal cord such as neurosyphilis, and any harmful buildup of fluid. It can also be used to sample viruses that may be affecting the brain.

A sample of the fluid is removed by needle under local anesthesia and studied to detect any irregularities. Some disorders require aggressive therapy while others are treated as symptoms arise. Neuropathic pain—chronic pain caused by damage to the nervous system—is often difficult to control.

Medicines range from over-the-counter pain killers to anticonvulsant drugs, opiates, and some classes of antidepressants. Inflamed tissue caused by autoimmune or other conditions can press on nerves, causing pain.

Such illnesses may be treated with corticosteroids or procedures such as plasma exchange, formally known as plasmapheresis, that clear the blood of harmful substances that cause inflammation. Psychostimulants may also improve depression and reduce fatigue. Drugs such as cholinesterase inhibitors, which can temporarily improve or stabilize memory and thinking skills in people with dementia, may relieve confusion and slow mental decline.

Benzodiazepines may be prescribed to treat anxiety. If adherence to the regimen is not perfect, HIV can quickly become resistant to the medication. And once an initial combination fails, it is less likely a second, different combination will be effective.

The good news is that newer drugs active against resistant viral strains and newer approaches to treatment are on the way. It is also important to note that HIV research may lead to advances in the treatment of other viral infections, as well as cancers, metabolic diseases diabetes, high cholesterol and other immune system disorders. The major needs for the future include an effective preventive vaccine, new drugs, better understanding of the long-term side effects of the current drugs and improved health care delivery to people in the developing world.

Perhaps the most important short-term need is effective prevention strategies. AIDS is a preventable infection; better prevention will significantly decrease the tremendous burden HIV infection places on humans around the globe.

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