Essay Preview: Aids
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AIDS : Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome HIV and Aids affect more than 40 million people worldwide. Race, sex and age dont have any effect on whether you will acquire this dangerous disease. People are getting infected and dying every day with this disease, and there is no cure or remedy. It starts as the HIV (Human immunodeficiency Virus). The virus destroys the cells of the bodys immune system which prevents the body from fighting simple infections and certain cancers. Eventually it develops into AIDS which unfortunately leads to death. Though the virus is quickly changing into new strands, developments are still being made, and we are slowly approaching a new discovery.
HIV is an RNA containing virus, which and contains two identical molecules of the nucleic acid. The capsid protects the genome from outside invaders and external changes. The virus will replicate, and create hundreds and thousands of copies of itself by penetrating a living cell and it targets a cell of the immune system called the T-lymphocyte (also known as the T-cell). After the virus has joined with a host cell it enters the cytoplasm and infects other nearby cells. A typical healthy person has 800-1200 CD4+ T cells, but the HIV infection destroys the cells rapidly. When the T cell count is below 200, the person becomes vulnerable to infections and cancers that signify the end of HIV and the beginning of AIDS. People who have AIDS typically will suffer from infections of the lungs, intestinal tract, brain, eyes, and other organs and cancers like Kaposis sarcoma and types of lymphomas.
The AIDS epidemic is unfortunately the most prevalent with African Americans communities and other minority populations. A study was done on HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Sexual Activity: An examination on racial differences in a College Sample to see the differences of African American and white students current and future sexual behavior. It was done with a sample of 156 college students from three public universities. The results showed that African Americans that were sexually active used condemns more frequently than white students who were also sexual active, and would use them regularly in the future. There were no racial differences for intended future casual sex, condemn use, and safer sex methods. The results also showed that African American college students took safer sex messages more seriously.
Someone who is coping with AIDS will most likely be emotionally distressed, anxiety, which could eventually lead to depression. People with AIDS can react with feelings of shock and denial which can lead to sadness and a sense of hopelessness. In the emotion of feeling helplessness, people can have suicidal thoughts. A study was on done men with HIV (based on the Psychoneuroimmunologic (PNI) Model) to see if stress management would help encourage positive moods, which would mediate hormone regulation by watching reductions in urinary cortisol (reduced in depression), norepinepherine (reduced in anxiety), and increase testosterone levels