100 Questions & Answers About HIV and AIDS

by Gallant

Overview

Empower Yourself! 100 Questions & Answers About HIV and AIDS provides answers to the most common questions asked by patients with HIV and AIDS, their partners, and their family members. Written by an internationally recognized HIV expert from Johns Hopkins University with commentary by two HIV-positive patients, this is an invaluable resource for people with HIV infection, or for those who care about them. It also includes useful information on prevention and testing for HIV-negative readers.

About the Author:
Joel Gallant, MD, MPH Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Associate Director, AIDS Service, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449693657
Publisher:	Jones & Bartlett Learning
Publication date:	03/20/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	220
File size:	649 KB

Table of Contents

Foreword xiii

Introduction and Preface to the First Edition xv

Preface to the Second Edition xix

Preface to the Third Edition xxi

Preface to the Fourth Edition xxv

Acknowledgments xxvii

Part 1 Now That You Know 1

Questions 1-6 provide information for people who've just been diagnosed with HIV infection.

1 What's my prognosis?

2 Can I live a normal life? What about sex and relationships?

3 What do I do now?

4 Who should I tell?

5 Should I keep working?

6 But I don't know! Should I get tested?

Part 2 The Basics 13

Questions 7-14 tell you what you need to know about HIV, your immune system, and the disease in order to understand your condition, your healthcare provider, your treatment options, and how to live with HIV infection.

7 What is HIV?

8 Where did HIV come from?

9 How does HIV make you sick?

10 What's the difference between HIV and AIDS?

11 What are the stages of HIV infection?

12 How is HIV spread?

13 How can HIV infection be prevented?

14 Why isn't there a cure?

Part 3 Diagnosis 29

Questions 15-17 are written for people who haven't been diagnosed

15 How is HIV infection diagnosed?

16 How do I know if I've been recently infected?

17 What if all of my tests are negative but I'm sure I'm infected?

Part 4 Medical Care 35

Questions 18-21 provide information on finding and paying for medical care.

18 How do I find the right medical care?

19 How do I deal with my healthcare provider?

20 What are my provider's responsibilities and what are mine?

21 How will I pay for medical care?

Part 5 Getting Started 45

Questions 22-26 discuss the laboratory tests and vaccinations you need.

22 What does my CD4 count mean?

23 What's a viral load?

24 What is a resistance test, and when should I get one?

25 What other tests do I need?

26 What vaccinations do I need?

Part 6 Starting Treatment 55

Questions 27-34 discuss things you need to know before starting treatment.

27 How does antiretroviral therapy work?

28 Should I start treatment?

29 What are the classes of antiretroviral drugs, and why do they matter?

30 How do my provider and I choose my first regimen?

31 Why is adherence so important?

32 What if I have side effects?

33 How should my treatment be monitored?

34 Can my HIV drugs interact with other medications?

Part 7 Staying on Therapy 81

Questions 35-42 discuss issues important to people who are on therapy.

35 How long will therapy last?

36 Can therapy ever be stopped?

37 How will I know if my therapy stops working?

38 What if my virus becomes resistant to the medications?

39 Are new drugs being developed?

40 What if I decide not to take medications?

41 Should I take complementary or alternative therapies?

42 What is immune-based therapy?

Part 8 Side Effects and Toxicity 93

Questions 43-52 discuss side effects and toxicities of antiretroviral drugs.

43 What are the side effects of protease inhibitors?

44 What are the side effects of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)?

45 What should I know about nucleoside analog side effects?

46 What can I do about changes in my body shape?

47 Am I at higher risk for heart disease?

48 How can I protect my liver?

49 Should I worry about my kidneys?

50 Are there risks to my bones and joints?

51 Can HIV or ART affect my hormones?

52 Can ART affect my nervous system?

Part 9 Opportunistic Infections and Other Complications 111

Questions 53-63 provide information on the complications of HIV infection.

53 What are opportunistic infections?

54 What is PCP?

55 What is MAC (MAI)?

56 What is toxo?

57 What about cryptococcal meningitis and other fungal infections?

58 What is CMV?

59 How do I prevent or treat tuberculosis?

60 How do I prevent opportunistic infections?

61 Can HIV cause cancer?

62 What is immune reconstitution?

63 Will HIV or ART make me age faster?

Part 10 Symptoms 129

Questions 64-73 discuss common symptoms caused by HIV and its treatment and how to deal with them.

64 What's wrong with my mouth?

65 Why does it hurt to swallow?

66 What can I do about nausea and diarrhea?

67 What do I do about cough or shortness of breath?

68 What if I get a cold or the flu?

69 Why am I losing weight?

70 Why am I tired?

71 Can HIV affect my skin?

72 Why do I have a headache?

73 Can HIV affect my nervous system?

Part 11 Women's Issues, Pregnancy, and Children 143

Questions 74-78 discuss HIV infection in women and children and HIV treatment in pregnant women.

74 How is HIV infection different for women?

75 Does HIV cause gynecologic problems?

76 What if I want to get pregnant?

77 How can I father a child with an HIV-negative woman?

78 What if my child is HIV positive?

Part 12 Coinfection 153

Questions 79-81 discuss other infections that often accompany HIV infection.

79 What if I also have hepatitis C?

80 What if I also have hepatitis B?

81 How do I prevent cervical and anal cancer?

Part 13 Mental Health and Substance Abuse 159

Questions 82-84 discuss depression, substance abuse, and other mental health problems.

82 How do I know if I'm depressed?

83 What should I do if I'm depressed?

84 What are the risks of using drugs if I'm positive?

Part 14 Relationships, Sexuality, and Prevention 165

Questions 85-89 discuss relationships, safer sex, and sexually transmitted infections.

85 How and when should I disclose my HIV status to partners?

86 How do I have safe sex?

87 What if my partner is negative?

88 What if my partner and I are both positive?

89 What should I know about sexually transmitted infections?

Part 15 Living with HIV Infection 175

Questions 90-96 discuss important lifestyle considerations for HIV-positive people.

90 What foods and water are safe?

91 Should I take vitamins or supplements?

92 Can I still drink alcohol?

93 Can I travel abroad?

94 Can I have pets?

95 Can I still exercise?

96 What are advance directives?

Part 16 Questions for Those Who Still Have Questions 187

Questions 97-100 discuss some of the controversial questions that still come up with respect to HIV infection.

97 What about the theory that HIV doesn't cause AIDS?

98 Isn't it true that the drug companies are withholding the cure to make money?

99 How do we know HIV wasn't created in a lab?

100 What's the state of the global epidemic?

Appendix 193

Glossary 197

Index 226