A smart note on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

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• By Ipsit Mitra

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), a lethal disease, which is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has no cure yet. However, its treatment is possible that could control HIV and enable people to lead a healthy life. The mechanisms that are unique to this virus make it such lethal that depletes the immune system making the host prone to many infections. AIDS occurs when HIV infection reaches stage 3. HIV belongs to the family of retroviruses and just like any other virus, it needs a host to multiply as it lacks both the machinery and ribosomes to do it on its own. What makes HIV so lethal is that, it attacks, resides and multiplies inside the helper T cells, and without the help of the helper T cells, the cytotoxic T cell and the B cell cannot function, and the person attains a depleted immunity, in which a minor infection can kill the host. The treatment is given primarily with the drug Zidovudine (AZT) that blocks the action of the enzyme that converts the viral RNA into hosts DNA, thereby making the person live up to 50 more years when it is expected to be around 10 years without treatment. Education could be the most effective way with which the number of people getting affected with AIDS can be reduced.

Keywords: HIV, AIDS, Lethal, Helper T cells, AZT

Image source:
Photo by Mohamed Hassan, available under Creative Commons 0 at https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1459859

Citation:
Ipsit Mitra . A smart note on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The Torch. 2020. 1 (6).
Available from: https://www.styvalley.com/pub/magazines/torch/read/a-smart-note-on-acquired-immune-deficiency-syndrome-aids/.

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