HIV/AIDS: Treatment, Diagnosis and Prevention



HIV/AIDS

What Is HIV/AIDS?
According to research, the origins of HIV date back to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century in west-central Africa. AIDS and its cause, HIV, were first identified and recognized in the early 1980s.
HIV is a virus that gradually attacks the immune system, which is our body’s natural defence against illness. If a person becomes infected with HIV, they will find it harder to fight off infections and diseases.
The virus destroys a type of white blood cell called a T-helper cell and makes copies of itself inside them. T-helper cells are also referred to as CD4 cells.


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There are many different strains of HIV – someone who is infected may carry various different strains in their body. These are classified into types, with lots of groups and subtypes. The two main types are:

    HIV-1: the most common type found worldwide
HIV-2: this is found mainly in Western Africa, with some cases in India and Europe.
HIV is found in the body fluids of an infected person (semen and vaginal fluids, blood and breast milk). The virus is passed from one person to another through blood-to-blood and sexual contact. In addition, infected pregnant women can pass HIV to their babies during pregnancy, delivering the baby during childbirth, and through breast feeding.
HIV can be transmitted in many ways, such as vaginal, oral sex, anal sex, blood transfusion, and contaminated hypodermic needles.
Both the virus and the syndrome are often referred to together as HIV/AIDS. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection. As a result, some will then develop AIDS. The development of numerous opportunistic infections in an AIDS patient can ultimately lead to death.
There is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS. Treatments can slow the course of the condition - some infected people can live a long and relatively healthy life.
What is HIV/AIDS?
HIV is the virus which attacks the T-cells in the immune system.
AIDS is the syndrome which appears in advanced stages of HIV infection.
HIV is a virus.
HIV infection causes AIDS to develop. However, it is possible to be infected with HIV without developing AIDS. Without treatment, the HIV infection is allowed to progress and eventually it will develop into AIDS in the vast majority of cases.
HIV testing can identify infection in the early stages. This allows the patient to use prophylactic (preventive) drugs which will slow the rate at which the virus replicates, delaying the onset of AIDS.
AIDS patients still have the HIV virus and are still infectious. Someone with AIDS can pass HIV to someone else.
Facts about HIV
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.
If left untreated, it can take around 10 to 15 years for AIDS to develop, which is when HIV has severely damaged the immune system.
With early diagnosis and effective antiretroviral treatment, people with HIV can live a normal, healthy life.
HIV is found in the following body fluids of an infected person: semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids and breast milk.
HIV cannot be transmitted through sweat, saliva or urine.
According to UK statistics, the most common way for someone to become infected with HIV is by having anal or vaginal sex without a condom.
You can also risk infection by using infected needles, syringes or other drug-taking equipment (blood transmission), or from mother-to-child during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.

Causes of HIV/AIDS
Sexual transmission: It can happen when there is contact with infected sexual secretions (rectal, genital or oral mucous membranes). This can happen while having unprotected sex, including vaginal, oral and anal sex or sharing sex toys with someone infected with HIV.
Prenatal transmission (from mother to baby during birth):  The mother can pass the infection on to her child during childbirth, pregnancy, and also through breastfeeding.
Blood transmission: The risk of transmitting HIV through blood transfusion is nowadays extremely low in developed countries, thanks to meticulous screening and precautions. Among drug users, sharing and reusing syringes contaminated with HIV-infected blood is extremely hazardous. HIV is spread when blood, semen, or vaginal fluids from an infected person enter another person's body, usually through sexual contact,
HIV spreads through:

Symptoms/Signs of HIV/AIDS
A number of symptoms associated with the flu may be the first to arise as early signs of HIV, which include:




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Who Can Get HIV?
Anyone can get HIV if they engage in certain activities: You may have a higher risk of getting HIV if you:
Have unprotected sex: This means vaginal or anal intercourse without a condom or oral sex without a latex barrier with a person infected with HIV
Share needles to inject drugs or steroids with an infected person: The disease can also be transmitted by dirty needles used to make a tattoo or in body piercing.
Receive a blood transfusion from an infected person: This is very unlikely in the U.S. and Western Europe, where all blood is tested for HIV infection.
Are born to a mother with HIV infection:  A baby can also get HIV from the breast milk of an infected woman
How to diagnose HIV/AIDS
There are several types of tests that screen blood (and sometimes saliva) to see if you are infected with HIV.
The primary tests for diagnosing HIV and AIDs include:
ELISA Test — ELISA, which stands for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, is used to detect HIV infection. If an ELISA test is positive, the Western blot test is usually administered to confirm the diagnosis.
A newer type of test that checks for HIV antigen, a protein produced by the virus immediately after infection, can quickly confirm a diagnosis soon after infection. An earlier diagnosis may prompt people to take extra precautions to prevent transmission of the virus to others . It is done with a pinprick to the finger.
Standard tests:  These blood tests check for HIV antibodies. Your body makes antibodies in response to the HIV infection. These tests can't detect HIV in the blood soon after infection because it takes time for your body to make these antibodies. It generally takes two to 8 weeks for your body to produce antibodies, but in some cases it can take up to six months. In standard tests, a small sample of your blood is drawn and sent to a lab for testing. Some of the standard tests use urine or fluids that are collected from the mouth to screen for antibodies.
How to Prevent HIV/AIDS
The best way to prevent HIV is to use a condom for sex
Never share needles with another person
Do not share injecting equipment (including syringes, spoons and swabs).

Steps to prevent spreading HIV
If you are HIV-positive (infected with HIV) or have engaged in sex or needle-sharing with someone who could be infected with HIV, take precautions to prevent spreading the infection to others.

    Take antiretroviral medicines. Getting treated for HIV can help prevent the spread of HIV to people who are not infected.
Tell your sex partner or partners about your behavior and whether you are HIV-positive.
Follow safer sex practices, such as using condoms.
Do not donate blood, plasma, semen, body organs, or body tissues.
Do not share personal items, such as toothbrushes, razors, or sex toys, that may be contaminated with blood, semen, or vaginal fluids.
How to prevent spreading HIV if you are pregnant
The risk of a woman spreading HIV to her baby can be greatly reduced if she:



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  Treatment for HIV/AIDS
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the use of HIV medicines to treat HIV infection. People on ART take a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV regimen) every day. ART is recommended for everyone infected with HIV. ART can't cure HIV, but HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives.
HIV is treated using a combination of medicines to fight HIV infection. This is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART isn’t a cure, but it can control the virus so that you can live a longer, healthier life and reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to others.
ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV regimen) every day, exactly as prescribed.
These HIV medicines prevent HIV from multiplying (making copies of itself), which reduces the amount of HIV in your body. Having less HIV in your body gives your immune system a chance to recover and fight off infections and cancers. Even though there is still some HIV in the body, the immune system is strong enough to fight off infections and cancers.
By reducing the amount of HIV in your body, HIV medicines also reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others.
ART is recommended for all people with HIV, regardless of how long they’ve had the virus or how healthy they are. If left untreated, HIV will attack the immune system and eventually progress to AIDS.
HIV medicines are grouped into six drug classes according to how they fight HIV. The six drug classes are:

HIV/AIDS Home Remedies/Home Cure
If you are infected with HIV, you can lead an active life for a long time.
Make healthy lifestyle choices

    Eat a healthy, balanced diet to keep your immune system strong. Heart-healthy eating can help prevent some of the problems, such as high cholesterol, that can be caused by treatment for HIV.
Exercise regularly to reduce stress and improve the quality of your life
Learn how to deal with the weight loss that HIV infection can cause.
Learn how to handle food properly to avoid getting food poisoning.
Take steps to help prevent HIV-related fatigue.
Do not smoke. People with HIV are more likely to have a heart attack or get lung cancer.14, 15 Cigarette smoking can raise these risks even more.
 Do not use illegal drugs
Limit your use of alcohol
Join a support group
Support groups are often good places to share information, problem-solving tips, and emotions related to HIV infection.
You may be able to find a support group by searching the Internet. Or you can ask your doctor to help you find one.
Prevent other illnesses
Get the immunizations and the medicine treatment you need to prevent certain infections or illnesses, such as some types of pneumonia or cancer that are more likely to develop in people who have a weakened immune system.

Complications of HIV/AIDS
Most complications of HIV/AIDS are as a result of suppression of T cell-mediated immunity. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is available to inhibit the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus.
By weakening your immune system, HIV can leave you vulnerable to certain cancers and infections. These infections are called "opportunistic" because they take the opportunity to attack you when your immune system is weak.
In addition, HIV is recognized to be an inflammatory disease that affects many parts of the body, not just the immune system. That means that HIV can affect organs like the brain, kidneys, liver, and heart and may increase the risk of some cancers.

Certain changes can happen to HIV-positive people who are living longer and taking HIV medicines. Sometimes these changes can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Sometimes the older HIV medicines can contribute to visible changes in body shape and appearance. For more information on body shape changes and opportunistic infections, these are other infections that could be contacted has a result of HIV: