Teacher_Answer
Please reply to this professor’s question with a minimum of two paragraphs, cited with two references not older than 5yrs old. No plagiarism. First is my initial post and underneath the line is the professor’s response.
– An infectious diseases consist of various conditions that result from germs which include fungi, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Infectious diseases can be contracted through breathing, touching, drinking or eating something that has been exposed to germs or that which contains it. HIV and AIDS are one of the infectious diseases and it is caused by a virus. Antiretroviral drugs are critical to those who have been infected with the virus and it has both advantages and disadvantages as discussed in this paper.
The use of antiretroviral drugs allows the infected person to stay healthy for a long period because of reduced viral loads. It suppresses HIV and minimizes the chances of being affected by other diseases due to the weak immune system. The drug does not completely get rid of the virus from an individual but minimizes the effects that it causes to the body as a result of a weak immune system (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 2014). The drug, therefore, acts as a booster to the immunity of the body because it makes it healthy and strong. As much as antiretroviral drugs are advantageous they are also characterized by side effects which are unpleasant to the body. Some of the side effects that are associated with antiretroviral drugs include tingling or numbness of body parts, nausea, diarrhea, headache, abdominal pain, kidney stones as well as anemia. The drug may cause the development of diabetes mellitus in some patients while enhancing fat deposits which change the configuration of the body in other patients. In a nutshell, the side effects of the drug can be detrimental to the patient due to cardiovascular disease, stroke as well as hypertension.
Reference:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). Preexposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention in the United States – 2014:
A clinical practice guideline. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/prepguidelines2014.pdf. Accessed July 27, 2014.
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Please let me know of an example of a commonly used Antiretroviral therapy that you would use for your patient ?
Thank you.
