AIDS (Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome) is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency virus) by progressively destroying the body's immune system. HIV breaks down the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. People diagnosed with HIV may develop opportunistic infections, which are caused by microbes such as viruses or bacteria that take advantage of the weakened immune system. What would normally be an infection or virus that could fought off by an otherwise healthy person, could become debilitating or even deadly to one with HIV.
HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk. This transmission can come in the form of anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion, contaminated intravenous needles, exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or other exposure to one of the above bodily fluids.
Untreated HIV disease is characterized by a gradual deterioration of immune function. Most notably, crucial immune cells called "CD4 positive T cells" are disabled and killed during the typical course of infection. These cells, also called "T-helper cells," play a key role in the immune system's communication process, signaling other cells in the immune system to perform their special functions.
AIDS is the resulting collection of symptoms and infections from the damage to the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Also known as Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, the late stage of the condition leaves individuals prone to opportunistic infections and tumors. There have been several advancements in the treatments for AIDS and HIV including the ability to slow the virus's progression. Presently there is no known cure. HIV may not cause symptoms for a number of years.
Early Symptoms of HIV
Early symptoms that you may experience a month or two after becoming infected may last a couple of weeks. These include:
- Rapid weight loss
- Dry cough
- Recurring fever
- Night sweats
- Extreme, unexplained fatigue Swollen lymph nodes in armpits, neck, or groin
- White spots on the tongue or in the mouth or throat
- Headache
- Discomfort from light Rash Depression
- Irritable mood
- Advanced Symptoms of HIV
After the initial symptoms are gone, there may be no symptoms for months to years. Then, the following symptoms may occur over the course of 1–3 years:
- Swollen lymph glands all over the body
- Fungal infections of the mouth, fingernails, toes
- Repeated vaginal infections (yeast and trichomonas)
- Development of lots of warts
- Exacerbations of prior conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, herpes infection
- Shingles
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- Chronic diarrhea
- These HIV symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month and are often mistaken for those of another viral infection. During this period, people are very infectious, and HIV is present in large quantities in genital fluids.
More persistent or severe symptoms may not appear for 10 years or more after HIV first enters the body in adults, or within 2 years in children born with HIV infection. This period of "asymptomatic" infection varies greatly in each individual. Some people may begin to have symptoms within a few months, while others may be symptom-free for more than 10 years.
Even during the asymptomatic period, the virus is actively multiplying, infecting, and killing cells of the immune system. The virus can also hide within infected cells and lay dormant. The most obvious effect of HIV infection is a decline in the number of CD4 positive T (CD4+) cells found in the blood-the immune system's key infection fighters. The virus slowly disables or destroys these cells without causing symptoms. A healthy, uninfected person usually has 800 to 1,200 CD4+ T cells per cubic millimeter of blood. If the HIV infection goes untreated, the amount of these cells in a individual's blood progressively declines. When the CD4+ T cell count falls below 200/mm3, a person becomes increasingly vulnerable to the opportunistic infections and cancers that typify AIDS, the end stage of HIV disease.
As the immune system worsens, a variety of complications start to take over. For many people, the first signs of infection are large lymph nodes or "swollen glands" that may be enlarged for more than 3 months.
