What is HIV?
HIV infection is an issue that many are uninformed about. Knowing HIV and AIDS information is the best way to proect oneself against the virus. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, a virus that, once contracted, begins to attack the body’s immune system, making it impossible to get rid of.
Shortly after an individual has been infected with HIV, he or she will develop a brief viral illness that often includes a fever, rash, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue. These symptoms of HIV positive go away quickly, but the virus itself does not go away. For a varied number of years, the infected individual will have no symptoms of HIV positive. His or her immune system, however, is being destroyed by the virus. When the immune system has been damaged beyond repair, the symptoms of AIDS begin to manifest. These symptoms may include chronic fatigue; weight loss; swollen or painful glands in the neck, armpits, or groin; shortness of breath;dry cough not due to allergies or smoking; chronic diarrhea; high fevers; night sweats; appearance of one or more purple spots on the skin or in the anus, mouth, or nose; a white coating on the tongue, throat or vagina; and confusion, memory loss, or other signs of mental deterioration.
HIV is caused when an individual contracts the virus through. Common methods of contracting HIV and becoming aids HIV positive include having anal, oral, or vaginal sex with an infected person; sharing needles or syringes, such as with drugs or tattooing, with an aids HIV positive individual; from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding; and through blood transfusions.
The biggest consequence of contracting HIV is the development of AIDS and AIDS-related conditions, AIDS-related cancers, or symptoms of these. Some of these conditions may include invasive cervical cancer, Encephalopathy, severe Herpes simplex infection, Toxoplasmosis of the brain, Wasting Syndrome, and others.
Though there is no cure for HIV, there are drugs and treatments that can slow the virus’ damage to the body and alleviate some symptoms. The most common treatment for HIV is the prescription of antiretrovirals, drugs designed to disrupt the action of HIV. These drugs are available under many different product names and doses. Combination therapy, taking two or more antiretroviral drugs at a time, is also used in the treatment of HIV.
AIDS is the final stage in a progression of diseases that have been caused by HIV. When a person has developed one of the AIDS-related conditions or has an immune cell count of 200 or less, he or she is said to have developed AIDS. HIV infection is a very dangerous and real threat, but with proper education and prevention, it can be avoided.