Understanding and Treating HIV/AIDS

The treatment of HIV and AIDS
For my final paper I chose to write about the treatment of HIV and AIDS. At first I will explain what HIV and AIDS are, what they can do to your body and how to get infected. After that I will outline what the pros and the cons of HIV and AIDS treatments are.
HIV, also known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. If left untreated, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells in the body, which makes a person more likely to get infections or infection-related cancers. HIV can also lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), if it is not being treated (aids.gov). There is no effective cure for HIV, however with proper treatment and medical care, HIV can be controlled. In

The treatment will not cure the virus; however it makes life more livable. People that receive treatment and stay on their treatment plan could possibly live as long as someone who does not have HIV

One of the cons is that for some people it’s impossible to access that treatment in the first place. According to the CDC the estimated lifetime cost of treating HIV is $ 500, 000 and nearly 30% of those living with this disease are uninsured (healthline.com). If you think about it, as of right now about 1 million people live with HIV here in the United States. This makes about 300,000 people living with HIV and not being able to have access to treatment here in the United States. Without the proper treatment, their HIV infection will lead into AIDS, which can lead to death if they are not taking medication for it. Most physicians will combine multiple drugs into one tablet. The prices for these medications can vary from $ 2,000 to $ 5, 000 depending on what brand name you and your doctor chooses. An example would be, if a HIV infected person had to take 4 pills daily, his or her estimated monthly cost would be around $3,000, which would add up to be around $36,000 a year (healthline.com. Shouldn’t everybody that is affected by this virus have the right to access the medications?
Another con regarding HIV and AIDS treatments would be that they can have a significant amount of long-term side effects. Some of those long-term side effects are fat redistribution (mat lose fat in your face but gain it in your belly), higher cholesterol (may raise risk of heart disease), higher blood sugar level, loss of bone density and a buildup of a cellular waste