Life Expectancy and Prognosis of Hepatitis C Sustained viral response (SVR) is an important measure to follow in the prognosis of the patient. The SVR is defined as the non-appearance of the particles of the hepatitis C virus in patient’s blood and serum at least for 24 weeks after withdrawing the treatment. The rate of SVR also varies with the type of HCV infection. The SVR is better with genotype 2 and 3 infections while it is comparatively lower for genotype 1. The evidence of the SVR for different genotype is for up to 48 weeks. Another factor to monitor during the anti-HCV therapy is a rapid virological response (RVR). The RVR is defined as untraceable levels of HCV particles achieved within four weeks of the treatment. The long-term control can decrease the risk of liver cancer by 75 % in these patients. At present, more than 100 medicines are under development for the management of hepatitis C. These also include vaccines for prevention and treatment of the disease. Many new immunomodulators are being developed to combat the HCV infection. The stem cell therapy to regenerate the damaged liver is also underway to the clinics. Prevention of Hepatitis C There are no approved vaccines to prevent the spread of HCV infection.

Human immunodeficiency virus , also known as HIV is a blood borne illness that has caused worldwide health concerns. HIV enters the body through blood and body fluids such as semen and in rare cases saliva. HIV refers to the state of being infected with the retrovirus, meaning they test positive for HIV. Once the HIV virus has infected a person and the disease is active, this is known as AIDS (Acquired Immune deficiency syndrome). HIV/AIDS is an incurable disease, but there are medications available to improve the quality of life. Since the appearance of the first case in 1981, a rapid and silent spread of the HIV infection has continued. With the increasing availability of medicines to fight against HIV infection, the life expectancy has raised to the great extent. However, the war against HIV still continues and we are far away from the finish line. Prevalence of HIV Due to the long window period from the time of exposure to HIV virus versus the time that the patient will test positive for HIV, the actual incidence and prevalence cannot be calculated. However, it is estimated that more than 37 million people globally are infected with HIV. This number includes 3 million children.

Pathology of HIV The HIV virus is highly intelligent and adaptable, which makes it harder to treat. There are many efforts being taken by people all around the world to understand the actual pathology, disease progress, and probable cure for the HIV infection and AIDS. HIV virus typically cannot survive outside of the body for long periods of time, it is however speculated to be able to can live in body fluids or blood droplets for several weeks in favorable conditions. The HIV virus requires human blood cells to replicate. Once inside the human body, HIV virus invades in the immune cells and blood cells, like CD4+ T cells and macrophages. The virus attaches to the CD4 and CCR5 (co-receptors) and fuses with the cell surface. The virus releases viral RNS and proteins into the cell and viral RNA reverse transcribes onto the cells DNA. The DNA is then transported into the cell’s nucleus and becomes part of the cell’s genome. The CD4 lymph is most targeted by HIV, which is why the infection typically starts in the lymph nodes where most of the immune cells are present. The HIV infection leads to scarring and shrinkage of these nodes. The infected immune cells are destroyed by our body, which ultimately leads to a decrease in a total number of immune cells.

Symptoms of HIV After initial exposure, when the HIV load peaks at 3-9 weeks,  flu-like symptoms may be experienced, however, throughout the infection and during later stages the following symptoms can be experienced:    Weight loss    Fatigue    Swollen and painful lymph nodes    Respiratory infections are not resolving after treatment    Skin infections are not resolving after treatment    Diarrhea    Relapse of previous infections (tuberculosis, herpes , and other conditions)    Opportunistic infections Often the HIV/AIDS disease is diagnosed at a later stage when the virus has spread extensively. However, due to increased campaigns for routine HIV screening, the infection is often diagnosed earlier. The sooner medication is started the better the outcome. Stages of HIV In primary infection, the patient suffers from the flu-like symptoms like fever, chills, cough, sore throat, fatigue, body ache, etc. for the short duration. These symptoms usually occur within 1 – 2 months of the infection. Many recipients of the HIV virus do not suffer from any of these symptoms which make the primary infection more difficult to detect. The second stage starts once the primary infection has spread into body’s immune system. This stage normally starts after 12 weeks of exposure.

Many risk factors affect the spread of HIV infection , it is important to be aware in order to stop the spread.    Heterosexual men and women, especially when they don’t practice safe sex.    Homosexual and bisexual men with the multiple partners increase chances of getting the HIV infection.    Women who have sex with multiple partners especially without using any protective device like condoms.    Drug addiction, especially those who use injectable drugs.    Health care providers and hospital staff, laboratory technician, blood bank staff, etc. who has chances of getting an accidental prick or cut by needles and other instruments which are contaminated with HIV-infected blood or body fluids.   An infant born to the HIV-infected mother. The chances of transmitting infection increases if a mother is not receiving any therapy. Patients with kidney disease, blood cancers and other patients who require multiple blood transfusion are also exposed to higher risk of HIV infection.