Phillip’s Health Part B: Exercise & Opportunistic Infections
Because of the lack of support Phillip is receiving from his family, he attempts to reconnect with some of his old friends.
He ends up reconnecting with an old partner who he had been sharing some of his struggles with.
However, Phillip recently becomes aware that his partner is immunocompromised with Lung Cancer. Phillip worries about infecting his partner with HIV overtime.
How exercise can impact the immune system
- Because T-lymphocyte function declines with age, preserving this function with interventions known to improve immunity, such as physical activity, is considered important
- For example, one study in an older population reported that 6 months of aerobic and resistance training at moderate intensity showed significantly increased CD28+ and CD4+ cells, causing an upregulation of the T-helper cells and decreasing the risk of infection
- The immunological benefits of physical activity, specific to those with HIV, include the effects on CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts and HIV viral load
- It has been showed that physical activity can enhance production of natural antibodies and delay disease progression
- With consistency, physical activity can positively impact individuals CD4+ and CD25+ count
Clinical Stages of Infection
- Incubation period: From exposure till the onset of symptoms
- Prodromal stage: Non-specific infectious symptoms like headache, fever and nausea
- Invasion period: Specific signs & symptoms of the disorder. Active microbes invading the host present
- Convalescence: Resolution and recovery of symptoms when the microbes begin to disappear from the body
Note: Individuals are often more infectious when they don’t appear sick, this often means the infection/ virus has been multiplying and increasing its virulence/ pathogenicity
What is an Immunocompromised individual?
An immunocompromised individual may include those who are:
- Taking immunosuppressive drugs that weaken their immune system from fighting off infections/ foreign antigens within the body via Non-specific cell-mediated immunity
- May result in a person needing medications including high strength corticosteroids, chemotherapy, or organ transplants to maintain their quality of life.
Phillip’s possibility of infection
- Phillip’s partner already has a weakened immune system due to his cancer and as HIV is primarily transmitted through sexual contact this increases the risk greatly of his partner developing HIV from him.
- However, if Philip develops Pneumonia or another form of infection secondary to his HIV it may result in an opportunistic infection.
- If it spread to his partner, it may compromise his partner’s health to develop Pneumonia which may result in respiratory failure and shock if not treated.
