HIV AIDS symptoms
Do you know the hiv aids symptoms? In the beginning, the symptoms of aids hiv may be flu-like symptoms: fever, headaches, tiredness, and swollen lymph glands. That is it. It can be as many as 10 years before the severe symptoms of aids hiv appear. This is called the asymptomatic period, meaning no symptoms. However, during this time, your immune system becomes weaker and weaker because the HIV virus is eating away at your CD4 cells. They are the t-helper cells that help to fight off infection in your body. Once again, you may start with swollen glands. You may experience tiredness, weight loss, frequent fevers, sweats, yeast infections, skin rashes, herpes infections, and short-term memory loss.
As the disease progresses, it begins to wear down each system in your body. Let’s take a further look at hiv aids symptoms and how they affect your body.
1. Pulmonary (Lungs) – persistent cough that may or may not produce sputum, some shortness of breath, chest pain, and fever. The disease can progress to pneuocystis carinii pneumonia, which is the most common, bacterial pneumonia, CMV (cytomegalovirus), Histoplasma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and others.
2. Gastrointestinal (stomach, intestines, etc.) – diarrhea, weight loss, anorexia, abdominal cramps, and rectal urgency (tenemus).
3. Oral (Mouth) – oral lesions may appear and periodontis which can progress to gingival necrosis
4. Central Nervous System – (Nerves) impaired memory and concentration, loss of balance, lower extremity weakness, and cognitive and motor symptoms
5. Malignancies such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and lymphomas
The medications that are used in treatment of HIV/Aids are:
• ART – antiretroviral therapy
• HAART – highly active antiretroviral therapy
The more the disease progresses, the more severe aids and symptoms will be. These will eventually become severe, such as:
• Repeated opportunistic infections
• Respiratory Infections
• Wasting of the body
• Drug related toxicities
• Death
To help prolong your life, you must do some prevention therapy, such as:
• Get early treatment for all opportunistic infections
• Get screenings and vaccines: tuberculosis screening every year with a PPD; pneumonia vaccine every 5 years: and if your CD4 count is greater than 200, a flu vaccine every fall
• Continue to take your medications as prescribed by your local doctor.
• Maintain good skin care to prevent a secondary source of infection.
• Do not ingest any alcohol, raw, undercooked, dairy, or high fat foods.
• Do oral care 2 to 3 times a day.
• Get regular periods of sleep.
• Use universal precautions.
The more the aids and symptoms worsen, you may want to join a support group, get counseling, and arrange your personal business. Remember: hiv aids symptoms are numerous, but once your CD4+ T cell count is less than 200, you have AIDS and there is no cure.