The Fact About National resource center on HIV and aging That No One Is Suggesting

There is a new trend among HIV patients that few if any thought they would live to see. In the early days of the research related to the virus, researchers noted that the virus would likely make those infected much more prone to ailments that are most prevalent among the elderly.

The big question now is what is truly to blame for the memory loss, high blood pressure, renal failure, and arthritis showing up in HIV patients in their late forties and early fifties? The necessity of the immune system in patients with HIV to work overtime, and the toll the virus takes on the body, coupled with the bombarding of drugs necessary to slow its progress probably all contribute to the increase in maladies typically not seen until later in life.

Most researchers agree that the virus does not so much mimic the condition of old age, but rather hastens the body toward conditions to which it already predisposed, whether by genetic or environmental issues. Either way, the population suffering from the disease is aging, which is a good sign in that strides made in research has increased life expectancy, but not so great in that doctors are really not prepared as of yet for the issues that the disease could cause in the older generation.

With the urgency much focused on the younger generation in the emergency response state, the time has come for the consideration of how to handle HIV when coupled with premature aging. These are all questions that are going to have to be addressed, and soon, with the number of living HIV patients growing ever larger and older each year.

There is a new trend among HIV patients that few if any thought they would live to see. In the early days of the research related to the virus, researchers noted that the virus would likely make those infected much more prone to ailments that are most prevalent among the elderly. The issue was not urgent or even pressing at the time, as infections were hugely prevailing among the younger generation and survival to a point where this premature aging would begin to be noticed seemed unlikely. However, with people over the age of 50 expected to make up the majority of the United States population dealing with the virus by 2015, the issue has now become quite urgent.

The big question now is what is truly to blame for the memory loss, high blood pressure, renal failure, and arthritis showing up in HIV patients in their early fifties and late forties? Is it the virus, or is it the often brutal regime of drugs that must be taken to treat it? Most researchers believe it is probably a combination of the two. The necessity of the immune system in patients with HIV to work overtime, and the toll the virus takes on the body, coupled with the bombarding of drugs necessary to slow its progress probably all contribute to the increase in maladies typically not seen until later in life.

Most researchers agree that the virus does not so much mimic the condition of old age, but rather hastens the body toward conditions to which it already predisposed, whether by environmental or genetic issues. Either way, the population suffering from the disease is aging, which is a good sign in that strides made in research has increased life expectancy, but not so great in that doctors are really not prepared as of yet for the issues that the disease could cause in the older generation.

These are all questions that are going to have to be addressed, and soon, with the number of living HIV patients growing ever larger and older each year. Anyone living with HIV/AIDS knows how difficult the disease can be, but it has a unique impact on women. Considering their role in society and biological vulnerabilities, women experience the HIV/AIDS threat in an entirely different way than men.

Women are a greater risk of heterosexual transmission than men. In fact, women are up to twice as likely to be infected when practicing unprotected sex. Any woman can be exposed to HIV, but many believe they are not at risk. HIV is largely ignored by gynecologists and women's magazines, so women do not bother getting tested on a regular basis. In fact, most women learn they have HIV coincidentally as part of a routine test done for a new job or new insurance plan.

Researchers have found when a woman is first infected, she will have lower amounts of HIV in her blood than men, but she will lose more immune cells and develop AIDS faster. Women are also more likely to have liver problems and skin rashes as a result of the HIV medications. For this reason, it is imperative women at risk for developing HIV are tested on a regular basis.

Often women with HIV/AIDS do not believe they can have children without passing on the disease. The virus can be transmitted to a child in two ways - during birth and breastfeeding. The child has a one in five chance of developing the disease if an HIV positive woman does not take steps to reduce her child's chances of being infected. For women who take the proper steps - including taking HIV medications, feeding and having a cesarean section with formula instead of breast milk - the child's chances of developing HIV drops to between one and two percent. Many doctors prescribe the drug Neveraprine that is administered during childbirth. It is quite effective in stopping transmission of the infection and is popular in Africa. There is no reason an HIV positive woman should believe her chances of having children have passed. Pregnancy does not make an HIV positive woman sicker and most women can continue their medication regimens throughout pregnancy.

Often a woman's fear of her own isolation from the community is secondary to fears her child will be isolated from peers. Women living with HIV/AIDS not only have to combat misconceptions about themselves, they have to worry about how those misconceptions could impact their children.

Older women are also more susceptible to developing HIV. Many of these women are post-menopausal and are not worried about practicing safe sex to avoid pregnancy. Older women can also be less educated about how HIV spreads get more info as it was not a vital part of their school's curriculum. In many cases, these women will mistake signs of HIV with symptoms of normal aging.

Another group of women are at the greatest risk for developing HIV - those living in sub-Saharan Africa. According to UNAIDS, the United Nation's program on AIDS, approximately three-quarters of the women with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. It is imperative that women around the world help these victims battle the disease.

Raising AIDS awareness is one of the best ways to combat this problem. Women need people to promote and protect their rights, increase education and awareness around the world and encourage the development of new preventative technologies. Until more women learn how to protect themselves, the AIDS epidemic will continue to spread through their gender.

HIV is largely ignored by gynecologists and women's magazines, so women do not bother getting tested on a regular basis. Most women learn they have HIV coincidentally as part of a routine test done for a new job or new insurance plan.

If an HIV positive woman does not take steps to reduce her child's chances of being infected, the child has a one in five chance of developing the disease. For women who take the proper steps - including taking HIV medications, feeding and having a cesarean section with formula instead of breast milk - the child's chances of developing HIV drops to between one and two percent. Pregnancy does not make an HIV positive woman sicker and most women can continue their medication regimens throughout pregnancy.