Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a global health challenge which has been affecting millions of lives each day worldwide. Although there are many advancements in the treatment and research HIV still remains a very serious health concern. In this article we will dive deep into the various aspects of HIV, which includes its causes, symptoms, treatment options and also preventive measures.
What is HIV?
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is a virus which attacks the immune system of our body which also makes it hard to fight off other diseases. If HIV has severely weakened your immune system, it can also lead you in acquiring immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This is a condition in which our immune system becomes very damaged and cannot fight with the infections affecting our body.
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AS HIV works backward to insert its instructions into your DNA, it is known as retrovirus in nature.
Without treatment, HIV infections progress to AIDS in about a span of 10 years.
What is AIDS?
AIDS is the final and most serious stage of an HIV infection. It emerged first in the 1980s and since then it has posed a significant global health challenge. People with AIDS have very low counts of certain white blood cells which help in fighting the foreign infections that have entered our body and severely damaged immune systems.
Unlike HIV which does not show symptoms for a very long time, AIDS represents an advanced stage of this disease in which the immune system is so compromised that it starts affecting the individual highly and makes the body very much susceptible to getting many deadly infections and also some certain types of cancers.AIDS can also cause rapid weight loss, extreme tiredness, mouth or genital ulcers, fevers, night sweats and skin discolorations. Other illnesses and cancers often happen in people living with AIDS
What does HIV do to a person?
HIV infects white blood cells of your immune system called CD4 cells, or helper T cells. It destroys CD4 cells, which makes your white blood cell count drop immensely . This makes your immune system weak that now it can’t even fight off the infections, even those that wouldn’t normally make you sick.
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HIV initially makes you feel sick with flu-like symptoms. Then it can hide in your body for a very long time without even causing any noticeable symptoms. During that period of time, it slowly destroys the T-cells which are present in your body. Now this eventually drops the count of your T-cells, resulting in you beginning to get certain illnesses that people with healthy immune systems don’t get.
What’s a Retrovirus?
They are a fascinating class of viruses that operates in a very unique way compared to the cells which are usually found in our human body. A retrovirus is a virus which works backward from the way human cells do. Human cells have instructions (DNA) that send a message (RNA) to make building blocks for your body (proteins).
Retroviruses have their instructions written on RNA. When a retrovirus invades your cells, it changes its RNA to look like your cells’ instructions (DNA). Then it cuts your cells’ DNA and inserts its instructions into them. Your cell then acts as though the virus’ instructions are its own.
HIV is a retrovirus. All viruses invade your cells and then use your cells’ “machinery” to make more copies of themselves. HIV not only uses your cells to make more of itself, but it also inserts its instructions into your DNA.
Who does HIV affect?
It’s a myth that HIV only infects certain people. Anyone can get HIV if they’re exposed to the virus. Having sex without a condom or sharing needles to inject drugs are the most common ways that HIV spreads.
Some populations are statistically more affected by HIV than others. Groups disproportionately affected by HIV include:
- People who identify as gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (MSM).
- Certain races such as people who are Black or Hispanic.
- Those who exchange sex for money or other items are also at high risk for HIV infection.
While these aren’t the only populations impacted by HIV, it’s important to consider that they face unique barriers to accessing preventative care, getting tested, and receiving comprehensive treatment. Homophobia, racism, poverty, and social stigmas around HIV continue to drive inequities and keep people from accessing high-quality healthcare.
What are the Symptoms of HIV?
You can have HIV without having any symptoms during the very early stages of it . This is why it’s important to get tested even if you don’t feel sick, as early detection and treatment can significantly improve the outcomes and conditions.
Sometimes you’ll have flu-like symptoms when you first get infected with HIV. These can include:
- Fever
- Chills.
- Fatigue.
- Sore throat and difficulty in swallowing food and saliva.
- Muscle aches.
- Night sweats.
- Rash which can be different on every individual and can also vary in appearance and severity.
- Swollen lymph nodes ( especially on neck, armpits and groin which can become swollen and tender)
- Mouth sores ( such as ulcers on tongue, inner corners of the cheek and throat)
What are the Stages of HIV?
HIV certainly has may stages but its progression from HIV infection to AIDS typically occurs in several stages:
Stage 1: Acute HIV infection
It is the earliest and the first stage which can be characterized by Some people getting flu-like symptoms a month or two after they’ve been infected with HIV. These symptoms often go away within a week to a month. And the virus replicates itself rapidly and eventually the immune system begins to respond.
Stage 2: Chronic stage/clinical latency
After the acute stage, you enter the chronic stage of HIV, which is an asymptomatic stage. Over here you can have HIV for many years without feeling sick or getting any indicating symptom for the same. It’s important to know that you can still spread HIV to others even if you feel well. And the virus is still very much active and is continuously damaging the immune system.
Stage 3: AIDS
AIDS is the most serious stage of HIV infection. In this stage, HIV has severely weakened your immune system and opportunistic infections are much more likely to make you sick. You get diagnosed when your immune system is highly compromised. And there is a significant drop in CD4 T-cell count in your body.
Diagnosis and Treatment
HIV is diagnosed through a blood test which detects the presence of the virus or the antibiotics which the body has produced by the help of the immune system in response to the virus. It is very important that you get the virus detected at its very early stage as it will allow you to intervene and start with the treatment as soon as possible.
HIV treatment involves a combination of antiretroviral therapy drugs. ATR helps in controlling the virus, and allows the immune system to recover and prevent the progression of HIV to AIDS.
While there is no cure for HIV but with proper treatment and adherence to medication, individuals can lead a healthy life even when affected with it.
Prevention
As HIV is a disease which when transmitted from one person to another can only affect you, therefore it is very important and crucial to reduce its transmission by taking some preventive measures.
- Safe sex – Use of condoms during sexual intercorse can significantly introduce the risk of getting infected by HIV transmission.
- Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – It is a medication which is usually taken by HIV-negative individuals who are seen to have a high risk of getting infected with it in future. This medication is for the prevention of HIV acquisition.
- Needle exchange programs – For the individuals who use intravenous drugs, it is very important for you to keep in mind that use of clean needles and syringes is a must. Using the same needles can increase the risk for you in getting infected with the HIV virus.
- Preventing mother-to child transmission- If you are pregnant and also diagnosed with HIV virus then by taking ART during the pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding you can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to your child.
What is HIV?
HIV is a virus which attacks the immune system of our body which also makes it hard to fight off other diseases.
What is AIDS?
AIDS is the final and most serious stage of an HIV infection.
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