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HIV/AIDS
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HIV or human immunodeficiency virus is a retrovirus that causes AIDS. AIDS means "acquired immune deficiency syndrome"-a disorder of the immune system that causes a great many symptoms and can result in death if not treated aggressively. AIDS and HIV weaken the immune system so that the individual with the disease can get infections or cancer more easily. You can get HIV and AIDS from having unprotected sex with an infected person, from sharing dirty needles with another individual or from exposure to body fluids from an infected person. Drug users, sexually active individuals and those in the healthcare industry are all at risk for getting HIV or AIDS.
A person can have HIV but not AIDS. Remember that HIV is the virus that causes AIDS but an individual can have HIV without developing AIDS. There are millions of people who are receiving treatments for HIV who have not come down with the symptoms of AIDS. The medications can delay or prevent the onset of AIDS.
Symptoms of AIDS can be so subtle that you don't know you have it. After becoming infected with the HIV virus, some people can develop a flu-like illness within days to weeks of becoming exposed to the HIV virus. The symptoms of this illness are a fever, fatigue, headache and enlarged lymph nodes. It is a condition that usually passes without any specific treatment and you feel well after that. The time lapse between such an illness and getting AIDS can be as long as 10 years. In the meantime, the virus multiplies and infects the immune system cells so that you can't fight off viral, bacterial or parasitic infections. In addition, the ability to fight off certain cancers is diminished. It is primarily the CD4 cells and the T4 cells that are the most affected by the HIV virus.
If you have a poor immune system from the HIV virus, you usually have some of the following symptoms: weight loss, fatigue and lack of energy, sweats and fevers, recurrent yeast infections, short term memory loss, skin rashes or skin that is flaky, mouth sores, genital sores or herpes.
AIDS is the final stage of an HIV infection and is usually defined as having fewer than 200 CD4+ cells per microliter of total blood volume. There are about twenty five conditions related to having AIDS such as Kaposi's sarcoma that are common in AIDS patients but uncommon in healthy patients. Many of these diseases involve having opportunistic infections from fungi, viruses and bacteria. Practically all systems of the body are affected with AIDS.
Common symptoms of AIDS include having a loss of coordination, cough, shortness of breath, painful swallowing, difficulty swallowing, forgetfulness, confusion, fever, severe diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, cramps in the abdomen, loss of vision headaches, stiffness of the neck and coma in severe cases.
Cancers are common with AIDS. Patients can get Kaposi's sarcoma, cancers of the lymph system (lymphomas) or cervical cancer. Once you get AIDS systems, it is estimated that you can survive around 2-3 years.
Testing for HIV involves a blood test for the HIV virus. The test is usually done shortly after the exposure and is repeated about 6 months afterward as it can take up to six months for the HIV test to turn positive. If you are tested and the test returns as positive, treatment can be given so that the HIV virus doesn't cause AIDS for as long as possible. You may need counseling before and after HIV testing so you understand what the test means and what your next steps are. Many people have fears around being tested for HIV and these fears can be discussed prior to having your blood drawn for the test. Most tests check for antibodies to the HIV virus, while others actually detect the RNA in the virus itself. The test can pick up an HIV infection as early as two weeks after the exposure. Even if you haven't begun to make antibodies against the HIV virus, you are still able to pass the disease onto another so a negative test at two weeks out might still mean that you are infected with the virus and can pass it on.
An ELISA test is usually the first test the doctor does to check for HIV antibodies. If it is negative, no other tests are done. If it is positive, a confirmatory Western Blot test is done that confirms the positivity of the ELISA test. A polymerase chain reaction can detect the RNA in the virus itself or the DNA in cells that are infected with the HIV virus. Finally, an indirect fluorescent antibody test or IFA is like a Western Blot test because it confirms the presence of the antibody to the HIV virus.
HIV disease is treated with anti-retroviral medication. These are also called ARVs. Each of them acts on a different aspect of the life cycle of the HIV virus. Combinations of ARVs are often used to treat the disease. No medication actually cures AIDS but instead prevent HIV disease from becoming full blown AIDS.