What is HIV/AIDS?
Human immunodeficiency virus
infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a range of
conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Following early infection, a person may experience a brief period of influenza-like
illness. This is naturally followed by a prolonged period without symptoms. As
the infection progresses, it obstructs more and more with the immune system,
making the person much more vulnerable to common infections like tuberculosis,
as well as opportunistic infections and tumors that do not generally affect
people who have working immune systems. The late symptoms of the infection are
referred to as AIDS. This stage is often intricated by an infection of the lung
known as pneumocystis pneumonia, severe weight loss, a type of cancer known as
Kaposi's sarcoma, or other AIDS-defining conditions.
AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening
condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By damaging your
immune system, HIV interferes with your body's ability to fight the organisms
that cause disease.
HIV is a sexually transmitted
infection. It can also be spread by contact with infected blood or from mother
to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breast-feeding. It can take years
before HIV weakens your immune system to the point that you have AIDS.
There's no cure for HIV/AIDS, but
there are medications that can dramatically slow disease progression. These
drugs have reduced AIDS deaths in many developed nations. But HIV continues to
decimate populations in Africa, Haiti and parts of Asia.
HIV is transmitted primarily
through unprotected sexual intercourse (including anal and oral sex),
contaminated blood transfusions, hypodermic needles, and from mother to child
during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. Some bodily fluids, such as
saliva and tears, do not transmit HIV. Prevention of HIV infection, primarily
through safe sex and needle-exchange programs, is a key strategy to control the
spread of the disease. There is no cure or vaccine; however, antiretroviral
treatment can slow the course of the disease and may lead to a near-normal life
expectancy. While antiretroviral treatment reduces the risk of death and
complications from the disease, these medications are expensive and have side
effects. Without treatment, the average survival time after infection with HIV
is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV sub type.What is AIDS/HIV? - Documentary
How HIV is Transmitted?
Origin of HIV
Genetic research indicates that
HIV originated in west-central Africa during the late nineteenth or early
twentieth century. AIDS was first documented by the United States Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and its cause—HIV infection—was
identified in the early part of the decade. Since its discovery, AIDS has
caused an estimated 36 million deaths worldwide (as of 2012). In 2013 it
resulted in about 1.34 million deaths. As of 2012, approximately 35.3 million
people are living with HIV globally. HIV/AIDS is considered a pandemic—a
disease outbreak which is present over a large area and is actively spreading.
HIV/AIDS has had a great impact
on society, both as an illness and as a source of discrimination. The disease
also has significant economic impacts. There are many misconceptions about
HIV/AIDS such as the belief that it can be transmitted by casual non-sexual
contact. The disease has also become subject to many controversies involving
religion. It has attracted international medical and political attention as
well as large-scale funding since it was identified in the 1980s.
Signs and Symptoms of AIDS
There are three main stages of
HIV infection: acute infection, clinical latency and AIDS.
Main Symptoms of Acute HIV Infection
1. Acute infection
The initial period following the
contraction of HIV is called acute HIV, primary HIV or acute retroviral
syndrome. Many individuals develop an influenza-like illness or a
mononucleosis-like illness 2–4 weeks post exposure while others have no
significant symptoms. Symptoms occur in 40–90% of cases and most commonly
include fever, large tender lymph nodes, throat inflammation, a rash, headache,
and/or sores of the mouth and genitals. The rash, which occurs in 20–50% of
cases, presents itself on the trunk and is maculopapular, classically. Some
people also develop opportunistic infections at this stage. Gastrointestinal
symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea may occur, as may neurological
symptoms of peripheral neuropathy or Guillain-Barre syndrome. The duration of
the symptoms varies, but is usually one or two weeks.
Due to their nonspecific
character, these symptoms are not often recognized as signs of HIV infection.
Even cases that do get seen by a family doctor or a hospital are often
misdiagnosed as one of the many common infectious diseases with overlapping
symptoms. Thus, it is recommended that HIV be considered in people presenting
an unexplained fever who may have risk factors for the infection.
2. Clinical latency
The early symptoms are followed
by a stage called clinical latency, asymptomatic
HIV, or chronic HIV. Without treatment, this second stage of the natural
history of HIV infection can last from about three years to over 20 years (on
average, about eight years). While normally there are few or no symptoms at
first, near the end of this stage many people experience fever, weight loss, gastrointestinal problems and muscle
pains. Between 50 and 70% of people also develop persistent
generalized lymphadenopathy, characterized by unexplained, non-painful
enlargement of more than one group of lymph nodes (other than in the groin) for
over three to six months.
Although most HIV-1 infected
individuals have a obvious viral
load and in the absence of treatment will eventually progress to AIDS, a small
proportion (about 5%) retain high levels of CD4+ T cells (T helper cells)
without antiretroviral therapy for more than 5 years. These individuals are
classified as HIV controllers or long-term non progressors (LTNP). Another
group is those who also maintain a low or undetectable viral load without
anti-retroviral treatment who are known as "elite controllers" or
"elite suppressors". They represent approximately 1 in 300 infected
persons.
3. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS) is defined in terms of either a CD4+ T cell count below 200
cells per µL or the occurrence of exact diseases in association with an HIV
infection. In the absence of specific treatment, around half of people infected
with HIV develop AIDS within ten years. The most common initial conditions that
alert to the presence of AIDS are pneumocystis pneumonia (40%), cachexia in the
form of HIV wasting syndrome (20%) and esophageal candidiasis. Other common signs
include recurring respiratory tract infections.
Opportunistic infections may be
caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that are normally controlled
by the immune system. Which infections occur partly depends on what organisms
are common in the person's environment. These infections may affect nearly
every organ system.
People with AIDS have an
increased risk of developing various viral induced cancers including Kaposi's
sarcoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, primary central nervous system lymphoma and
cervical cancer. Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common cancer occurring in 10 to
20% of people with HIV. The second most common cancer is lymphoma which is the
cause of death of nearly 16% of people with AIDS and is the initial sign of
AIDS in 3 to 4%. Both these cancers are associated with human herpesvirus 8.
Cervical cancer occurs more frequently in those with AIDS due to its
association with human papillomavirus (HPV). Conjunctival cancer (of the layer
which lines the inner part of eyelids and the white part of the eye) is more
common in those with HIV.
In addition, people with AIDS often
have complete symptoms such as prolonged fevers, sweats (particularly at
night), swollen lymph nodes, chills, weakness, and weight loss. Diarrhea is
another common symptom present in about 90% of people with AIDS. They can also
be affected by diverse psychiatric and neurological symptoms independent of
opportunistic infections and cancers.
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