HIV part 2...

Finding a doctor is the first and most important step you will take after being diagnosed with HIV. HIV is a complex disease that requires specially trained physicians to deliver the complex care necessary for a healthy life. Complicated drug regimens with a multitude of side effects; the long-term complications of HIV such as lipodystrophy and mitochondrial toxicity (lactic acidosis) makes treating HIV disease a challenge. Because of this, finding a doctor is the first place to start. So how do people living with HIV find a doctor? Here is a brief guide to help you make good decisions. Good decisions by you now will pay off in long-term benefits later.
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What Type of Specialty Doctor Treats HIV AIDS?

What type of specialty doctor treats HIV AIDS? HIV and AIDS are treated by several different types of doctors.

Type of Specialty Doctor Who Treats HIV AIDS

Like any other disease, there are specific doctors that specialize in the treatment of HIV and AIDS. The best types of physicians to treat this disease are infectious disease doctors. You may also be able to find general practitioners that specialize in the treatment of HIV/AIDS treatment.
The types of doctors who specialize in treating HIV and AIDS have a better track record of treating HIV positive patients with the type of drug therapy that these patients need, when compared with the same types of doctors who do not specialize in this area.

To find such a physician, you can ask for a referral from your regular doctor or from a clinic such as Planned Parenthood. Your HMO or insurance provider may also be able to refer you to a specialist.

You Need a Specialist to Treat HIV/AIDS

To understand why you need a doctor who specializes in HIV AIDS, it is important to understand the disease. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This disease is caused by the HIV virus. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
Once the HIV virus infects the body, the virus cells attach themselves to CD4 lymphocyte helper cells. After they have attached, the viral cells begin to multiply and take over, killing off the helper cells. These helper cells are necessary for the body’s immune system to function normally.
When many of these helper cells are gone, the body struggles to fight off common infections such as pneumonia and even more rarer conditions such as tuberculosis or encephalitis. As HIV progresses in the body and kills off more and more of these helper cells, it develops into full blown AIDS.

Treatment for HIV/AIDS

The first HIV/AIDS cases identified in the United States were in San Francisco, California and New York, New York more than 20 years ago. Although some people believe there is now a cure for this condition, scientists have yet to find a cure for the HIV/AIDS virus. Since the first discovered case of HIV/AIDS in 1981, more than 25 million infected individuals have died from AIDS and 2 million of them died in 2008 alone.
Even though there is no specific cure for HIV/AIDS, scientists have discovered a way to treat the HIV virus to slow it down in the body before it becomes full blown AIDS- this is why you need an HIV/AIDS specialty doctor.
Doctors treat patients with HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral drugs between the time when the HIV virus is first discovered and the onset of AIDS. This treatment involves a combination of drugs that combat the viral cells and allow patients to live longer than ever before.
There are actually reported cases of patients that have been diagnosed and treated with antiretroviral drugs who have lived out their entire lives without ever having developed full blown AIDS. The key to being successful with this treatment, however, is finding a doctor with a specialty in HIV AIDS to treat the disease.

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