UNIT V. SOCIAL DISEASES

1.Acquired immune deficiency virus

VOCABULARY and PRONUNCIATION

2.lymph node lymph gland

swollen lymph glands lymphadenopathy generalized lymphadonopathy

READING and SPEAKING

Task 2. Warm-up discussion.

Is acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) a contagious and dangerous disease? What ways of transmission of the disease do you know? Is there any cure for AIDS?

Task 3. Read the text and answer the questions.

AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which attacks the T-helper cells of the immune system. As T-helper cells help protect the body against diseases, HIV infection weakens the body’s defenses. People infected with HIV do not suffer and die from the effects of the virus itself. They die from different infections of the respiratory system, the

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gastrointestinal tract, and the nervous system. These infections accompanying HIV are called opportunistic infections.

There are four stages of the disease progression: the acute stage, the asymptomatic stage, the symptomatic stage and the crisis.

After the incubation period a short flu-like illness may occur. At this acute stage of the disease a patient may experience fever, malaise, lymphadenopathy, and skin rash. These symptoms usually occur within 3 weeks of initial exposure to HIV, after which the person becomes asymptomatic.

During the asymptomatic period a patient has no clinical problems, but continuous viral replication occurs. This stage can last for many years, 10 years or longer.

Following the period with no signs of illness, the symptomatic period develops in many patients. The symptoms during this period are the following: persistent generalized lymphadenopathy, persistent fever, weight loss, diarrhea, personality changes, and even dementia.

The last stage of AIDS is called crisis. It occurs when a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites overwhelm the body’s immune system. Development of secondary infectious diseases, secondary cancers, and neurological disorders are characteristic features of this stage. Many HIV patients suffer from a rare form of skin cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma. A rare type of pneumonia caused by the pathogen Pneumocystis carinii is a frequent cause of death.

A few patients don’t develop full symptoms of AIDS. A raised temperature and swollen lymph glands may develop but the onset of lifethreatening diseases may be delayed indefinitely or at least for a long period of time.

HIV is unique among many viral infections affecting the human race. It has a long incubation period, which is the time from infecting a person to developing symptoms of AIDS. The incubation period may be up to 10

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years. During this time, a person is HIV positive and can pass the virus to another person.

Transmission of HIV is usually by sexual contact, the use of contaminated syringes and needles by drug abusers, transfusion of infected blood or blood products. Patients with hemophilia who require regular injections of factor VIII are particularly at risk.

However, developed countries introduced sterilization and screening of donated blood for HIV infection. And now the risk of HIV transmission from using blood and blood products is practically absent.

The goals of therapy of AIDS include slowing the growth of the virus, preventing and treating opportunistic infections, providing nutritional support and symptomatic treatment.

1.What do abbreviations AIDS and HIV stand for?

2.Name the role of T-helper cells in the body.

3.What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?

4.What is the main difference of HIV from many human viral infections?

5.What are the ways of transmission of the disease?

6.What do patients with AIDS die from?

7.Describe the goals of therapy of AIDS.

8.What precautions should be taken against HIV infection?

Task 4. Are these statements true (T) or false (F)? If the statement is false, correct the statement.

1.AIDS is a congenital immune deficiency syndrome.

2.T-helper cells are affected in patients with AIDS.

3.The first period is asymptomatic followed by the symptomatic

one.

4. HIV is the synonym to AIDS.

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5.There is no cure against AIDS.

GRAMMAR

Task 5. Find all participles II in the text and complete the table with a suitable participle followed by a certain noun. Give your own examples of adjectives or participles that can describe a noun.

 WORD-BUILDING

Task 6. Make participles II and nouns from the following verbs.

 WORK IN PAIRS

Task 7. Ask your partner about any medical terms relating to the topic and answer his/her questions.

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Example 1. A: How do you say синдром приобретенного иммунодефицита in English?

B: It’s acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Example 2. A: What do flu-like symptoms mean?

B: It means гриппоподобные симптомы.

Task 8. Complete the sentences.

1.AIDS is …

2.It is caused by …

3.Acquired immune deficiency virus is transmitted through ...

4.The patients at risk are …

5.This disease is characterized by …

6.The patient experiences such symptoms as …

7.The main complications of AIDS are …

8.The diagnostic methods include …

9.The treatment of AIDS is aimed at …

10.Preventive measures are the following …

Task 9. Discuss with a partner any information you know about the topic.

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