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QUESTION
Discuss characteristic findings of immune dysfunction for either hypersensitivity reactions or AIDS. Explain what symptomology the patient would exhibit and how these symptoms may complicate daily living and relationships.
| Subject | Nursing | Pages | 2 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Characteristic Findings of Immune Dysfunction for Hypersensitivity AIDS and the Symptomology the Patient Would Exhibit
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) (2019) characterizes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as a disease transmitted when an individual’s immune system is attacked by the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV enters an individual’s body through pre-seminal fluid, blood, semen, breast milk, or vaginal fluid (CDC, 2019). As HIV targets an individual’s CD-4 cells, AIDS develops as a combination of symptoms caused by the deprivation of an individual’s immunity. Randall (2019) denotes that for an individual to be diagnosed with AIDS, HIV attacks the CD-4 T cells lowering one's count to below 200 cells per cubic millimeter leading to some characteristic findings.
Characteristic Findings
As AIDS spreads across an individual’s body, the body becomes too weak to ward off cancer and certain illnesses and infections. Avert (2018) highlights tuberculosis, wasting syndrome, cryptococcal meningitis, thrush, herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), and pneumocystis carnie pneumonia as some of the illnesses the body can no longer fight with a diminishing CD4 count.
Symptoms
While the body is prone to infections from such expedient diseases, AIDS manifests in an individual’s body with symptoms mirroring those of the infections. These symptoms include pneumonia, reduced weight loss, depression, lymph node swelling, depression, sores around an individual’s genitals, mouth, or anus, and fevers that keep reoccurring (HIV.gov, 2018). Other symptoms include increased fatigue, loss of memory, diarrhea that lasts over a week, purplish, brown, or red skin spots.
Impact on Daily Life
People living with HIV/AIDS have to adapt to changes in their physical health where there should be a reduced exertion on strenuous activities. Although there is no cure for HIV/AIDS, there are treatment strategies that involve anti-retroviral drugs that help repress the spread of the disease in an individual's body. As these drugs are prescribed to individuals living with HIV/AIDS, there is further importance to safeguard a person's mental health. The University of California San Francisco (2017) affirms depression and fear as presenting symptoms to individuals newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Therefore, counseling and positivity are required to help in transitioning with better care of one's body.
References
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Avert. (2018, October 8). HIV, other health conditions and opportunistic infections. AVERT. https://www.avert.org/living-with-hiv/health-wellbeing/health-conditions CDC. (2019). HIV/AIDS. Cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/ HIV.gov. (2018, September 25). Symptoms of HIV. HIV.gov. https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/symptoms-of-hiv University of California San Francisco. (2017). Coping with HIV/AIDS. Retrieved from http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/insite?page=pb-daily-mental
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