Basic Facts You Must Know About HIV

AIDS is a condition characterised by the progressive failure of the human immune system. It is a life-threatening opportunistic infection and cancer. It is caused when a person’s body gets infected with HIV virus. Without proper or timely treatment, the average survival time of an infected person is estimated to be 9 to 11 years; it mainly depends on the subtype of HIV. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) weakens the immune system, because of which, the body fails to fight off common germs, viruses, and other invaders. Anyone can get infected by HIV and can spread it. HIV destroys the CD4 cell, a type of white blood cell also called the T-cell. The main function of this white blood cell is to fight diseases.

However, being HIV positive does not necessarily mean that one is having AIDS. It takes years for AIDS to develop and it happens at the latter stage of infection. 

Transmission of HIV

HIV is a sexually transmitted virus. It can be also be transmitted from one person to another when infected blood is transferred to another human body. People can also get affected by this virus when they share the needle used for taking drugs, or needles used for body piercing or making tattoos. HIV can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy.

Diagnosis

Most of the doctors recommend an HIV test to know if one is HIV positive or not. In this test, traces of antibodies that fight the virus or traces of the virus itself in the blood is examined. Other than the HIV test, doctors also suggest patients go for a test of urine or fluid from the mouth (not saliva). Results of some tests can be obtained in 30 minutes. However, that is the case the body has been infected for weeks. Most of the tests fail to detect HIV immediately after the body catches the infection. This is because HIV takes 2-8 weeks to grow inside the body. In some cases, it may even take up to 6 months.

Symptoms

Doctors recommend an HIV test when someone starts experiencing flu-like symptoms, like fever, rashes or chills. These types of symptoms last for a few days to several weeks. At the initial stage of infection, HIV infection virus multiplies rapidly. Some of the other more severe symptoms of HIV infection include signs of opportunistic infections that occur in people with weakened immune systems.

Treatment

HIV infection or AIDS cannot be cured completely but medications can help people stay healthy for a longer period of time and even lead a normal life.