Everyone Healthy Library
AIDS
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
! Seek urgent medical care if warning signs appear
Some health conditions or symptoms can become urgent. Use this page for education, but seek help quickly if warning signs are present.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
- severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face/throat or widespread rash with breathing trouble
- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Linked signs and symptoms
9Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
1Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
12Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Counselling and support
5Alternative and complementary therapies
2Vitamins and minerals
3Vitamins
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
27These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration
- Blood Tests
- Bone Scan
- CD4plus T Cells Count
- Chest X-Ray
- Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan
- Cystoscopy
- D-Dimer Blood Test
- enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Test
- Erythropoietin (Ep) Concentration
- Fibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products, FSPs, Fibrin Breakdown Products, Fbps)
- Fibrinogen Concentration test
- Fibrinopeptide A (FPA) Action Assay
- Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH)
- HIV Serology Test (Elisa Test for for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, AIDS)
- Intracranial Prassure Monitoring (CSF Pressure)
- Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP)
- Lymphocyte Immunophenotyping
- Lymphocytes Count
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Testosterone Concentration
- Thyroxine Binding Globulin Concentration (TBG, Thyroid Binding Globulin, Blood)
- Tumor Marker Test
- Urine B2 Microglobulin Concentration
- Urine Cytology
- Urine Urobilinogen Concentration
- Western Blot Test
Biological markers/agents
19This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
10- Alpha-1 Antintrypsin (AAT)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 90–215 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsAlpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration
- D-DimerReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 0–240 µg/LLinked diagnostic testsD-Dimer Blood Test
- Fibrin Split ProductsReference range exampleAll: 0–1 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsFibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products
- FibrinogenReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 150–400 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsFibrinogen Concentration test
- Fibrinopeptide A (FPA)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 0.7–3.1 mg/mL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 0.35–2.5 mg/mLLinked diagnostic testsFibrinopeptide A (FPA) Action Assay
- HIV Serology (Specific Antibodies for HIV, AIDS)Reference range exampleAll: 0–1 NegativeLinked diagnostic testsHIV Serology Test (Elisa Test for for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Intracranial Pressure (Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure, CSF Pressure)Linked diagnostic testsIntracranial Prassure Monitoring (CSF Pressure)
- Thyroxine Binding Globulin (TBG, Thyroid Binding Globulin, Blood)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y), Female: 1.7–3.6 mg/dL; Infant (0 - 1y), Male: 1.6–3.5 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsThyroxine Binding Globulin Concentration (TBG, Thyroid Binding Globulin
- Urine B2 MicroglobulinReference range example0–1 mg/24hrsLinked diagnostic testsUrine B2 Microglobulin Concentration
- Urobilinogen (Urine)Reference range exampleAll: 0.1–1 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsUrine Urobilinogen Concentration
Often decreased
9- B Cells (CD19 Percentage)Reference range exampleAll: 3–25 %Linked diagnostic testsLymphocyte Immunophenotyping
- CD4 to CD8 RatioReference range exampleAll: 1–5 RatioLinked diagnostic testsLymphocyte Immunophenotyping
- CD4(plus) T CellsReference range example500–1,500 cells/mm3Linked diagnostic testsCD4plus T Cells Count
- Erythropoietin (Ep)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 6–36 units/LLinked diagnostic testsErythropoietin (Ep) Concentration
- Helper T cells (CD3(plus), CD4(plus))Reference range example589–1,505 cells/mm3; 32–61Linked diagnostic testsHelper T cells (CD3(plus), CD4(plus)) Count
- LymphocytesReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 25–40 %; 700–3,500 cells/mm3Linked diagnostic testsDifferential White Blood Cell Count Tests, Lymphocytes Count
- Natural Killer Cells (CD16 Percentage)Reference range exampleAll: 4–30 %Linked diagnostic testsLymphocyte Immunophenotyping
- TestosteroneReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 0.8–1.65 nmol/L; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 15–24.4 nmol/LLinked diagnostic testsTestosterone Concentration
- Total T cells (CD3(plus))Reference range exampleAll: 55–90 %; 812–2,318 cells/mm3Linked diagnostic testsLymphocyte Immunophenotyping, Total T Cells (CD3(plus)) Count
Introduction / full article
AIDS
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Cannabis (Marijuana, weed, hemp) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.
Recommendation: Weakly in favor (Evidence shows that smoking or ingesting cannabis may help in relieving symptoms of decreased appetite in AIDS, and may aid in patients regaining lost weight, although some studies have yielded mixed results)
Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT):
NOT RECOMENDED
Recommendation: strongly against (available evidence shows that HBOT is in no way useful in treating HIV/AIDS, and can have harmful effects. NOT RECOMENDED)
Grade of Evidence: Moderate quality of evidence
Neuro-Linguistic Programming:
Recommendation: weakly against (Available evidence shows that Neuro-linguistic Programming does not help to treat HIV/AIDS
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
Naturopathic Medicine:
Recommendation: weak against (available evidence shows that Naturopathic medicine does not help to treat HIV AIDS. )
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
Vitamin E Supplement [11, 12]:
Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to show that vitamin e is able to treat AIDS)
Grade of Evidence: Very low quality of evidence
Vitamin C [13]:
Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to show that vitamin c is able to treat AIDS)
Grade of Evidence: Very low quality of evidence
Vitamin B Complex [14]:
Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to show that vitamin b complex is able to treat AIDS)
Grade of Evidence: Very low quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Treatments:
1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
2. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/marijuana.html
3. http://nccam.nih.gov/research/extramural/awards/2004/
4. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/marijuana
5. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/what-we-know-about-ms/treatments/complementary--alternative-medicine/marijuana/index.aspx
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16957511
7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12965981
8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17589370
9. http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/6/11/2921.long
10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2562334/?tool=pmcentrez
11. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(00)00227-6/abstract
12. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/6/9/3641
13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6238227
14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8349197