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Subject:

GLOSSARY (h)
Date:

November 1989 from BETA #3 and BETA #4 (11 items)

hairy leukoplakia:

A condition believed to be caused by a combination of the Epstein-Barr and human papilloma viruses. Symptoms include white patches in the mouth, often in a striped pattern on the side of the tongue. It is believed to be found only in people who are HIV- positive.

half-life:

The time required for half the amount of a drug to be eliminated from the body.

hematocrit:

The volume percentage of red blood cells in whole blood. In men, it normally constitutes about 40 to 54% of the whole blood; in women, it normally constitutes about 37 to 47%.

hemoglobin:

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the cells. Normal hemoglobin values for women are 12 grams per liter and 14 16 grams per liter for men. These values may vary according to where the test is performed.

herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV 1):

A virus that can cause painful "cold" sores or blisters on the lips ("fever blisters") or in the mouth or around the eyes. The symptomatic disease stage occurs at un- predictable intervals of weeks, months or years. The latent (inactive) virus can reactivate due to emotional stress, physical trauma, other infections, or suppression of the immune system. HSV 1 responds well to treatment with acyclovir.

herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV 2):

A virus that can cause an inflammatory disease of the skin or mucous membrane. It is highly contagious and is usually sexually transmitted. Painful blisters may appear on the anus or genitals 2 12 days after infection. In healthy individuals, symptoms resolve without treatment in 2 3 weeks. In severely immuno-compromised individuals, the virus is sometimes difficult to suppress. Like HSV 1, HSV 2 may lie dormant (inactive) for weeks, months or years before reactivating to produce symptoms. Treatment with acyclovir usually works well.

herpes varicella zoster virus (HVZ):

May appear in adulthood as a result of having had chicken pox (caused by the varicella virus) as a child. Herpes zoster, also called shingles, consists of very painful blisters on the skin and follows nerve pathways.

herpes virus 6 (HHV 6):

A new herpes virus recently discovered by Dr. Robert Gallo and associates at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Gallo has suggested that HHV 6 may play an important co-factor role in the development of AIDS.

herpes zoster:

A condition characterized by painful blisters which generally dry and scab, leaving minor scarring. Also known as "shingles," it is caused by reactivation of a previous infection from varicella-zoster, the virus that causes chicken pox.

histoplasmosis:

A disease caused by a fungal infection that can affect all the organs of the body. Symptoms usually include fever, shortness of breath, cough, weight loss and physical exhaustion.

HIV positive:

Presence of antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that is assumed to cause AIDS, in the blood.