Searchlight Vol. 3, no. 1

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When should you get tested? When
should you intervene? Your ability to
' impact the course of this disease
depends on these two questions. First,
ACTO1 you must be aware of your HIV status.
it is unfortunate that many people who
are "at risk" find out their status only after they are
diagnosed with one opportunistic infection or another.
Secondly, if you are aware that you are "positive,"
intervene! Your ability to impact the course of this disease is directly related to how soon you take control and
start fighting the virus.
When an individual is first infected by
HIV, there is a large volume of virus
produced early on in the infection.
During these first hours, your immune
0% system is both identifying and implementing defensive measures which
VIL4clear free-floating virus from the
plasma surrounding your blood cells. After this initial
response, viral levels drop to almost zero. New research
now refutes the current belief that a long dormant period
exists between the time you are infected and the point at
which you become symptomatic. Viral load can now be
correlated with disease progression; a slow continual
increase in viral burden results in a corresponding
decrease in immune status. This process produces the
long, insidious chain of events which results in immune
dysfunction and suppression, inactivating the body's
defense mechanisms which are less and less able to deal
with an ever increasing level of virus.
Every month, new drugs are being
introduced into the battle. Each new
drug brings more effective and less
toxic weapons to deal with this med0% ical affliction in the best possible way.
I V As one progresses through the course
of HIV infection and viral levels
increase, the quantity of drugs needed to effect viral suppression increases. As the immune system stops recognizing bacteria, fungi, microorganisms and parasites,
additional drugs are necessary to prevent these infections
and/or to deal with infections not prevented. This
process requires an array of drugs to counter both the
AIDS virus and the opportunistic infections which result.

All drugs have toxicity. Ideally a drug
is toxic only to the targeted organism.
However, in order to ensure that a
drug is effective, the dosage level
0must often be increased to a point that
TOICITIS drug toxicities may also affect the
person who is taking them. Also, many
medications can produce adverse reactions. Synergy is
when two drugs are combined and the net result is much
more powerful than either single drug at twice the dose.
Unfortunately, toxicities and adverse reactions can also
be synergistic. Thus, the likelihood of toxic side effects
increases with both the amount and number of drugs one
must take in order to survive this disease.
As the disease progresses, individuals,are less able to function productively.
Meanwhile, the cost of managing the
disease, with its multiplicity of drugs,
hospitalization and home-bound care,
FIACIALCOST increases the financial burden for the
infected individual.
As the primary marker used for monitoring the health status of HIV positive
individuals, T-cell count becomes
Simportant for two reasons. First, it is
VAan indication of immune status.
T-CELL COiT Second, it is a marker of the effectiveness of the medications you are taking
in fighting the advance of the virus. Your goal is not so
much an increase in T-cell counts, but to maintain existing
T-cells. This can best be accomplished very early in the
course of the disease.
Don't find out your HIV status by getting sick. Find out by getting tested.
4rThis is your best chance of impacting
jthe course of the disease and improvO A IL ing the quality and length of your life.
Getting tested now and intervening
now could make the difference between being here when a
cure is discovered... or not.

BY MICHAEL J. SLATTERY
C C DUUOQi

Q Q U U U U U U U U U U UQ

U. SEARCHLIGHT January/February,1993

Page Seventeen