Human Immunodeficiency Virus (hiv) Research Paper

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As for the lifestyle changes for HIV positive patients, primarily these patients must eat healthier foods, as well as avoid others. There should be a higher intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). This will help keep the body strong and provide the energy and support that the immune system requires. Unpasteurized dairy products, raw eggs, and raw seafood should be avoided because foodborne illnesses can have quite the impact on those infected with HIV (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). Therefore, all meats should be cooked thoroughly until well done, and as many calories as possible should be consumed to ensure a proper energy source and maintain a healthy weight.

There are some supplements for those infected with HIV to help boost the immune system and counteract some side affects of the medications. Acetyl-L-carnitine can potentially be used to treat nerve pain, and whey protein can be used to help prevent loss of weight or assist with gaining weight (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). Whey protein is also known to decrease the occurrence of diarrhea, as well as increase the count for CD4 (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). Another lifestyle change comes into play when caring for animals, because animals can carry/cause certain infections. Washing hands after handling an animal or having any other contact with objects the animal may have interacted with is important in preventing the contraction of any of these infections (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put forth some guidelines for universal precautions for treating patients with HIV. These guidelines recommend treating every patient as a potential blood-bourne pathogen patient to prevent the spread of disease (Li, Lin, Wu, Guan, Jia, & Yan, 2010). These precautions include disposing needles or sharp objects immediately after use into appropriate containers, using proper hand washing techniques, and using gloves, masks, gowns, and protective eyewear when needed (Li et al. 2010). These precautions have become common practice by all health practitioners to ensure their own safety, for you never know when a patient is a carrier of a blood-bourne pathogen. Also, when these precautions are practiced with every single patient, it prevents from any patients from feeling discriminated against. This, in turn, could prevent any legal actions from being taken for possible discriminatory acts performed in the work force.

According to Miller, over two-thirds of patients with HIV experience at least one respiratory problem over the course of their HIV progression. First, there are the infectious diseases that are responsible for the respiratory issues in HIV positive individuals. The frequency of respiratory tract infections, acute bronchitis, and acute sinusitis is increased in patients with HIV compared to those without HIV (Miller, 1996). Bacterial pneumonias and fungal pneumonias are also a more common occurrence than those in the general population, specifically in HIV patients infected by intravenous drug use (Miller, 1996). One specific pneumonia that’s a frequent respiratory pathogen in HIV patients and is responsible for almost have of the respiratory problems that occur in these patients is Pneumocystis carinii (Miller, 1996). Myobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium avium intracellulare are two more infectious diseases that can cause respiratory issues in HIV positive persons. Tuberculosis has quite an impact on someone living with HIV, because it stimulates cell-mediated immunity, which activates the production of HIV in lymphocytes and monocytes (Miller, 1996). This furthers the spread of an HIV infection.

There are also some non-infectious diseases that cause respiratory issues in HIV patients. There’s a malignancy called Kaposi’s sarcoma that affects about one third of HIV-infected homosexual men, and can specifically be present in the pulmonary system (Miller, 1996). However, there are lymphomas that can show up in the later stages of the disease, but are only of B-cell origin and at that point average survival is less than one year (Miller, 1996). The final two non-infectious diseases that can cause respiratory problems in an HIV patient are non-specific interstitial pneumonitis and lymphoid interstitial pneumonitis (Miller, 1996).

The primary focus of treating an HIV patient should be proper antiretroviral treatment to manage the virus, and keep the viral count as low as possible. Next should be prevention of illness by administering immunizations and maintaining a proper diet to boost the immune system. The antiretroviral medication plan should include multiple drugs from different classes to be most effective, and regular tests should be done to monitor the stage of the infection. As for the diet, supplements should be instituted whenever the physician deems necessary. Finally, if one does treat an HIV positive patient, it is important to take proper precautions for their own safety, however, one must be extremely cautious as to not make the patient feel as though they are being singled out.

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Works Cited

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"HIV/AIDS." Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web.

Li, Li, Chunqing Lin, Zunyou Wu, Jihui Guan, Manhong Jia, and Zhihua Yan. "HIV-Related Avoidance and Universal Precaution in Medical Settings: Opportunities to Intervene." Health Services Research 46.2 (2010): 617-31.

Miller, Robert. "HIV-associated respiratory diseases." The Lancet 348.9023 (1996): 307-12.

Montgomery, M. C., Oldenburg, C. E., Nunn, A. S., Mena, L., Anderson, P., Liegler, T., Mayer, K. H., Patel, R., Almonte, A., Chan, P. A. (2016). Adherence to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention in a Clinical Setting. Plos One 11.6 (2016).