What is HIV?
HIV is an abbreviation and Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This illness occurs due to a virus that makes a person weak and vulnerable to various other infections and diseases. This condition often occurs due to sex without protection. HIV is fatal at chronic levels.
Someone who already has this condition transmits this illness by sharing the internal fluid in their body with others. Additionally, HIV infection can affect anyone at any age. Moreover, this infection can occur during the time of delivery in babies or sex without protection in their old age.
What is AIDS?
AIDS is an abbreviation for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. This condition is a chronic disease and can be life-threatening. This disease damages your immune system and interferes with your body’s ability to fight infections and diseases. Furthermore, it affects our overall health threatening our body’s immune system that helps us to fight all the conditions and diseases that we expose ourselves to daily.
Is HIV and AIDS one and the same?
HIV and AIDS are different conditions but due to HIV, a person falls into a medical condition known as AIDS. Additionally, AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is the last and chronic stage of HIV infection. When HIV infection damages the body’s immune system chronically through the virus then AIDS occurs.
If you can detect HIV infection soon then it will help you to prevent this AIDS before. Also, most HIV patients do not acquire AIDS because they get aware of this illness in time, and HIV medicines that doctors prescribe effectively prevent AIDS to occur.
What are the causes of HIV/AIDS?
In most cases, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) can occur to a person has sex with a person who already suffers from HIV infection using no protection or poor handling safety during sex. Also, a person who does not exhibit any signs of HIV/AIDS and confirmation of this condition without testing can pass this infection to other people.
Overall, a person can get this deadly viral infection if any kind of body fluid of an HIV patient gets into her body system. Also, a simple share of a shaving blade that contains an HIV patient’s blood can lead you to HIV infection. A person with HIV infection is capable to spread this virus to others within a few weeks of infection. Although HIV treatments can reduce the potential of spreading this virus to others they cannot stop it fully.
The most possible reasons for HIV/AIDS are as follows:
- Vaginal or anal intercourse has a high risk of HIV transmission as compared to oral sex or kissing but the potential risk still exists.
- A person performing oral sex to an HIV patient without protection and has problems in the mouth like ulcers or sores can catch HIV infection.
- HIV infection can occur if a person’s sexual partner had previous partners that were also having HIV.
- A person lives in places where HIV infection is on the hike or many people who suffer from HIV around the person. So, there is a high chance of infection.
- Homosexual men having sexual intercourse through the anal route with HIV patient partners can also cause HIV.
- Accidentally using or sharing sex toys, injections, and razors during sexual activity with a partner having HIV.
- If a person who also has a history of other sexually transmitted diseases like Hepatitis B or C can develop HIV infection as well.
- People who had multiple sexual partners and one of them is an HIV patient and didn’t take protection can make you prone to HIV.
- Any kind of sexual abuse/assault from a person who has HIV infection in which there was exposure to their body fluids can lead you to HIV.
- Any type of blood transfusion or transplant you went through that got exposure to the HIV virus can infect you as well.
- If someone is working in healthcare and accidentally prick themselves or cut themselves through blades that contain HIV patients’ fluids then they can get the infection.
- Babies can have HIV during their birth delivery or infection in the fetus because of HIV infected mother.
- AIDS occurs if HIV destroys CD4 T cells in the White Blood Cells (WBC) at large which are responsible to make you immune to diseases.
Can you get pregnant with HIV/AIDS condition?
In a woman’s body, it may take a long time like months or years to see signs of HIV/AIDS until she falls ill and test this condition out. Moreover, in some cases, a woman can be pregnant and infect themselves with HIV at the same time. Also, you can be pregnant even though you’re suffering from HIV infection.
HIV does not affect a woman’s ability to bear children but the baby can be at risk because of her mother who is suffering from HIV infection. A child may acquire HIV infection if the HIV spread in the placenta and infect the fetus of a pregnant female patient. Also, during delivery time, the baby may get exposed to the female patient’s blood and other fluid leading to HIV infection.
Additionally, in cases of water breakage, present in the amniotic sac, the female patient may expose their child to HIV present in the sac infecting their child with HIV. Furthermore, most babies get HIV infection during the time of delivery. Also, breastfeeding can lead to HIV in babies. Hence, it is important to consult your doctor during this phase or while conceiving a baby properly. It will prevent your baby to also get an HIV infection.
What are the signs and symptoms of HIV/AIDS?
HIV’s signs and symptoms are not detectable in the initial stages. Also, some may diagnose themselves with HIV during the test when they fall ill seriously. Moreover, this illness remains unnoticeable for many months or years until it gets serious. However, here are some signs and symptoms of HIV/AIDS that you can read for understanding this condition better as follows:
Signs you have HIV infection in acute levels
- Flu-like illness for 2 to 4 weeks
- Rashes
- Joint muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Painful soring in the mouth region
- Swelling in regions of lymph land like the neck
- Sudden loss of weight
- Diarrhea
- Coughing
- Sweating unusually at night
Signs of HIV infection at chronic levels
- Diarrhea
- Rapid weight loss
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Yeast infection in the oral route
- Herpes zoster
- Shingles
- Pneumonia
Symptoms of AIDS that develops later due to chronic level of HIV infection in the body
- Weakness
- Weight loss
- Swollen lymph glands
- Diarrhea at chronic levels
- Chills
- Sweats
- Frequent episodes of fever
- Unusual level of fatigue
- Skin rashes
- Bumps appearing on the skin
- Unusual white spots/lesions on the tongue or areas of the mouth
What are the treatment methods for HIV/AIDS?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for HIV and AIDS but there is also a treatment available for HIV/AIDS patients. The primary treatment that works for HIV patients is known as antiretroviral therapy (ART). This treatment consists of combinations of various types of HIV medicines also known as the HIV treatment regimen that a patient consumes every day. With the help of this therapy, the risk of transmitting this infection which can also lead to AID can decrease effectively. Due to proper awareness and effectiveness of HIV drugs, many HIV patients in America don’t fall into the chronic phase that can lead to AIDS.
Summary
HIV is an abbreviation and Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This illness occurs due to a virus that makes a person weak and vulnerable to various other infections and diseases. AIDS is an abbreviation for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Additionally, AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is the last and chronic stage of HIV infection. In most cases, HIV can occur to a person who has sex with a person who already suffers from HIV infection using no protection. HIV does not affect a woman’s ability to bear children but the baby can be at risk because of her mother who is suffering from HIV infection. HIV’s signs and symptoms are not detectable in the initial stages.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for HIV and AIDS but there is also a treatment available for HIV/AIDS patients. The primary treatment that works for HIV patients is known as antiretroviral therapy (ART). Furthermore, with the help of this therapy, the risk of transmitting this infection which can also lead to AID can decrease effectively.
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