Ted Hoffman

I have a brother. He suffered from herpes simplex related wounds three weeks ago. There was a brief episode of coughing blood and when I searched the web, I at first thought it was Kaposi Sarcoma (lesions in the respiratory tract).
Then I took him to hospital (heck I thought the wounds on his mouth were sores related to common cold) - they diagnosed him to be suffering from HS.

By the time, he had lesions in his private parts - he is older than me - 8 years - he was too embarrased to tell me what exactly was wrong with him - so my wallet suffered to get him back to "normal"(he is jobless).

Of course HIV has been ringing in my head since. He is ok now - wounds healed etc. I am clining to the hope that maybe the virus took advantage of a compromised immune system and so I am concentrating on keeping him healthy. Food excercise etc. Hoping that he has HS but not HIV.

This thread :The myth of AIDS is the one that inspired me to clarify lingering doubts.

Is it true that a number of people live with HS but remain asymptomatic? I am afraid of taking him for a HIV test because - I dont even want to think about what I would do if the guy is positive. It would open a bloody can of worms which I am not ready to deal with at the moment.

My question is - is it possible that this guy only has HS but not HIV - or is an attack of HS evidence that his immune system is fucked up - most probably by HIV? IOW, can health be poor enough to fuck up the immune system to the level HIV does? Or is it a qualitatively different kind of weakening?

Is it okay if I go on burying my head in the sand or do I take this guy for a HIV test?

Of course, I am not exactly burying my head in the sand - just just not feeding my suspicions

RoddyM

It is very rare for individuals to test +ve for HIV. But there are a lot of people being tested every day so it happens all the time.

If your brother was to take a test and test positive for HIV he would in all likelihood be dead within 10 years regardless of whether the result was false or whether HIV exists or not.

Ted Hoffman

He has tested +ve for Herpes. So the question is - is it rare for those diagnosed with herpes to test +ve for HIV?
If he tested +ve, and the results were false (ie he is actually negative) - that means the shock of being +ve kills one within 10 years?
Or was that a typo?

Mageth

If your brother was to take a test and test positive for HIV he would in all likelihood be dead within 10 years regardless of whether the result was false or whether HIV exists or not.

What? That helps a lot.

IronMonkey:

Having Herpes Simplex does not mean your brother is HIV positive or even that it's highly probable that he is. It may indicate his lifestyle puts him at high risk for getting HIV, but that's something (his lifestyle) you may know about him already.

Is it okay if I go on burying my head in the sand or do I take this guy for a HIV test

Don't take this the wrong way, but you appear to be "being your brother's keeper" on this. That's fine, I'm glad you're looking out for him, but I wonder why he's not taking care of himself. (Don't bother answering if you don't want to, because it's really none of my business.)

To answer: if he's been taking risks that may expose him to HIV, get him tested, or better yet have him get himself tested. Survival rates are at least partially dependent on early detection. Plus, if he is HIV positive, his lifestyle may need to be modified to protect others. Further, he may need to let others he may have exposed know that they need to be tested.

Bottom line: if he takes risks, he'd be wise to get tested every six months or so. And even wiser to take precautions (but still get tested).

Gurdur

Yes. I'm more medically familiar with Herpes zoster (chicken-pox virus, which also causes shingles) than I am with either Herpes simplex Type 1 or 2, but for example, with Herpes zoster most infected people remain asymptomatic, with it breaking out into shingles in late age or with other illness.
Can you afford the HIV-treatment ?
If so, then take him for an HIV-test now.
You'll feel better for it much later no matter whether positive or negative --- and if he is HIV+, the earlier the treatment begins the better ffor him.

BTW, get in touch with Scigirl or Dr Rick on this board --- they (unlike me) are genuine medicos.

Godless Dave

I can't answer the rest of your questions regarding immunodeficiency, but one can certainly have Herpes Simplex without HIV. It was the big scary STD for a few years until AIDS came along.

BUT, if he caught one STD he could have caught more. He should definitely be tested for HIV, gonerhea, syhpilis, the whole works. G. and syphilis can be cured, but only if they are caught early enough! HIV can't be cured of course but, contrary to RoddyM's claims, it is treatable and knowing is always better than not knowing.

In the meantime, buy your brother a box of $%&*ing condoms. There is no excuse for having unprotected sex in this day and age.

charlie d

Almost everybody is infected with HSV, which can result in genital and/or labial herpes depending on virus type (HSV-1 or -2), route of infection and other factors. Most people have few if any symptoms from the labial kind (such as cold sores); severe symptoms can be associated with a number of conditions such as stress, immunodeficiency, other ongoing illnesses. Genital herpes is more virulent and can also occasionally result in oral manifestations (this seems to be your brother's case). People with genital herpes may (and I stress - may) be at increased risk of HIV infection, as both viruses spread through intercourse and are associated with promiscuous, unprotected sex. As your brother is now a carrier of genital herpes (even if his symptoms are under control) he should know that he may infect others through unprotected sex, and that he should take precautions to avoid this.

The most important thing, however, is not to trust what you read on bulletin boards (including this one), but to talk to a physician for advice.

PS: Should your brother test positive for HIV, he's most definitely not going to certainly be dead within 10 years, regardless of what RoddyM says. Quality of life and survival expectancy for HIV+ individuals are increasing steadily, thanks to new therapeutic regimens. In the past 6 years dramatic changes have occurred - who knows what can happen in the next 10.

Mageth

The most important thing, however, is not to trust what you read on bulletin boards (including this one), but to talk to a physician for advice.

Hear hear! Best advice yet.

MadKally

Herpes zoster (shingles) is extremely painful during an outbreak. When a patient came to my hospital floor with it, I had to go to the lab to have a varicella titer done. That would be bad news for the nurse to be a varicella virgin. (our name for nurses who never had chicken pox as a child)

The best advice is to see a doctor or go to a clinic...