However, there are centers that perform transplants for HIV/AIDS patients. Some of the centers include the University of Pittsburgh Medial Center, Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, The Medical Center at the University of California at San Francisco, and Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami in Florida. If you have abstained and are clean for six months you can be considered for transplant.

AIDS diagnosis is based on several factors including the presence of HIV antibodies T lymphocyte (white blood cell) counts below 200 per milli-liter of blood and the presence of one or more opportunistic infections as defined by the Center for Disease Control's definition of AIDS. Specific symptoms that may be associated with AIDS include: Rapid loss of more than 10 pounds of weight that is not due to increased physical exercise or dieting.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency ["im-you-no-de-fish-en-see"] Virus -- is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). HIV attacks and kills the cells in our bodies that keep us from getting diseases. This makes people with HIV get illnesses that healthy people do not get. When a person with HIV gets very sick from pneumonia, some kinds of cancer, and other life-threatening diseases, they are said to have AIDS. AIDS is a fatal disease. Here is more information on HIV/AIDS.

Yes. Everyday sports such as tennis, golf, softball and basketball are not only fun, but also a good way to stay in shape following transplant.

Children or adults desperately ill from liver disease for whom we are unable to find a suitable deceased donor are candidates. Living liver transplantation, which is still relatively new, is currently available in only a handful of centers and is as successful as deceased donor transplantation. The liver is the only organ in the body that can partially regenerate itself, given the right circumstances.

HIV disease is the stage of illness during which the HIV-positive person still has a strong enough immune system to live a healthy life. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome" is a disease in which the body's immune system (defences) are too weak to fight certain infections, known as opportunistic infections e.g. TB, pneumonia and fungal infections.

Call the California HIV/AIDS Hotline at 800/367-AIDS (English/Spanish). TDD: 888/225-AIDS. For more information about the hotline, click here.

Globally, 45 percent of adults living with HIV/AIDS are women. By region, this percentage varies considerably, from 57% in Sub-Saharan Africa, to 28% in East Asia and the Pacific. In 2004, 17.6 million women were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

of 2003, approximately 15 million children have lost one or both parents due to HIV/AIDS. By 2010, this number is expected to increase to 25 million. Learn more about USAID's efforts to improve the lives of children affected by HIV/AIDS.

HIV destroys a certain kind of blood cell (CD4+ T cells) which is crucial to the normal function of the human immune system. In fact, loss of these cells in people with HIV is an extremely powerful predictor of the development of AIDS. Studies of thousands of people have revealed that most people infected with HIV carry the virus for years before enough damage is done to the immune system for AIDS to develop.

I - Immuno-deficiency: because the effect of the virus is to create a deficiency, a failure to work properly, within the body's immune system. V - Virus: because this organism is a virus, which means one of its characteristics is that it is incapable of reproducing by itself. It reproduces by taking over the machinery of the human cell.

Although there have been many advances in HIV treatments and therapies in recent years that have dramatically improved the quality of life and life expectancy of persons with HIV/AIDS in the US and other developed countries, there is, as of yet, no cure.

HIV/AIDS is treated with two groups of medicines. One group of medicines is used to slow the spread of the virus. The other group of medicines is used to fight illnesses that are caused by a weakened immune system. These medicines cannot cure HIV/AIDS, but they do help people live a healthier life for a longer period of time than if they did not take any medicine. Finding and treating HIV/AIDS early is the best way to take care of yourself.

HIV/AIDS cannot be cured. That is why it is so important to keep from getting it in the first place. Here are ways to keep from getting HIV/AIDS. ask your sex partner(s) if he or she has HIV/AIDS or other STDs, has had sex with someone who had HIV/AIDS or other STDs, or has sores, rashes, or discharge in the genital area. Do not share razors or anything that might touch blood, semen, or vaginal fluids of an infected person.

HIV is a very delicate virus and does not last long outside of the body. Nor is it spread through casual contact. Generally, the virus is transmitted when sufficient quantities of blood are introduced into the body of another. The structure of a tattoo needle does not lend itself to HIV transmission. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) there has never been a case of HIV transmission from tattooing in the United States.

According to the CDC, in 2000, an estimated 850,000-950,000 people in the United States were living with HIV and approximately one fourth of these people did not know they were infected. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that there are 42 million people in the world living with HIV and 3.2 million of those are children under the age of 15. Over half of all adults living with HIV/AIDS are women. In 2002, approximately 5 million people were newly infected with HIV.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA extends federal protection against discrimination for persons with disabilities in the private workplace and in places of public accommodation. The Act considers any form of HIV disease to be a disability covered under the law.

A liver transplant is a surgical procedure performed to replace a diseased liver with a healthy liver from another person. The liver may come from a deceased organ donor or from a living donor. Family members or individuals who are unrelated but make a good match may be able to donate a portion of their liver. This type of transplant is called a living transplant. Individuals who donate a portion of their liver can live healthy lives with the remaining liver.

Patients with advanced chronic liver failure can survive for a median time range of 18 months from the time of diagnosis without liver transplant. However as the disease advances they will require frequent medical admissions, some of which may be fatal.

It is advisable to undergo an evaluation as soon as you meet at least 2 of the criteria listed under absolute indications. This allows the author to list you for a suitable cadaver liver straight away. The cadaver livers are offered on first come first serve basis when the offer comes from some part of the country. While on waitlist one can explore the option of living donor transplant if any suitable relative is available.

The decision to transplant a patient's liver is made in consultation with all individuals involved in the patient's care, including the patient, referring physician, and the patient's family. The patient and family's input is vital in this decision making process; they must clearly understand the risks involved in proceeding to transplantation and the post transplant care.