AIDS

Introduction

AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is an extremely life-threatening disease caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It is a retrovirus which has RNA in its core. A person suffering from AIDS first becomes HIV positive, and, gradually the virus causes various problems related to functioning of the immune system. This syndrome essentially causes direct harm to the body’s immune system, making it weaker and incapable of fighting even normal diseases and infections.

The HIV spreads mainly due to the following:

• Sexual intercourse
• Direct contact of a person with the blood of an infected individual
• Infants may inherit the disease directly from their mother in the womb during pregnancy
• Infants might also get infected during childbirth
• Breast-feeding from an infected mother can also potentially transmit the virus to the infant

HIV and AIDS

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)

The human immunodeficiency virus attacks the body’s cells that are responsible for fighting infections and diseases. HIV infects a type of white blood cell in the body’s immune system called T-helper cells (CD4 cells). CD4 or cluster of differentiation 4 is a type of glycoprotein found on the surface of T helper cells. These are long lived and one of the most important immune cells of the body. This HIV enters the macrophages and reproduces forming killer cells. The killer cells start attacking all other types of immune cells of the human body. As a result, it makes the immune system of the infected person weaker to the point that they cannot even fight a common cough and cold.

When a person gets infected with HIV, it might take several years to properly diagnose the symptoms of AIDS, by which time it may be too late to follow proper treatment procedures.

There is still no specific treatment for HIV and AIDS in modern science. However, it has been observed that the longevity of a person’s life suffering from AIDS can be increased by providing them with proper medication and suppressing the symptoms to a great extent.

Once a person gets infected with HIV, it is important to recognise the symptoms early on and get proper treatment since long-term untreated HIV in the immune system can lead to AIDS, which is often incurable.

Here are some common symptoms of HIV:

HIV has symptoms that quite closely resemble the flu, such as:

• Constant fever
• Rashes
• Night sweats
• Sore throat
• Mouth ulcers
• Uneasiness or fatigue
• Constant chills
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Ache in the muscles

These are some of the symptoms that surface during the first stage of HIV infection. It is also common for people infected with HIV to feel these symptoms and misdiagnose it as a common flu or cold. Also, in most cases, the symptoms of HIV do not surface at all, which can lead to AIDS further along the years, without the infected person being aware of it.

Proper diagnosis and medication for HIV can reduce the risk of sexual transmission of the virus to a large extent. An individual infected with HIV can survive in the second stage for almost 10-15 years, during which period the symptoms are not as prominent since, at this stage, the virus multiplies at a very slow rate. At the second stage of HIV infection, the ART treatment certainly does help with restricting the spreading of the virus rapidly in the immune system of the infected individual, and it also restricts the spreading of HIV through sexual intercourse. .

The third stage of HIV infection is AIDS is the most progressive stage of the virus. Treatment and proper medication during the second stage of HIV can reduce the risk of attaining the third stage. The treatment provided to the individuals infected with HIV is known as Antiretroviral Therapy or ART.

AIDS

AIDS is the third stage of HIV infection, by this time the body’s immune system gets completely affected and damaged. Taking regular medication and treatment for HIV infection can prevent the infected individual from progressing to the stage of AIDS. However, an infected individual can be considered to have attained the stage of AIDS in the following conditions:

• When the amount of the CD4 cells in their blood drops to 200 cells per cubic meter
• When the infected individual starts developing frequent infections which are not being healed naturally by the immune system of the body

Once an individual reaches the level of AIDS, the life expectancy of the infected individual reduces to almost three years; in the case of severe infection or disease contraption, the persons’ life expectancy might even get reduced to approximately one year.

The medication for HIV certainly works in the condition of AIDS or the progressed stage of infections. Still, since there is no optimum cure for AIDS, the medications and treatment can only suppress the symptoms for a certain period until the organs and glands stop functioning altogether.

AIDS Symptoms

Once an individual has progressed to the stage of AIDS, they may start noticing the following symptoms:

• Frequent pain in the abdomen region
• Pain while swallowing as well as soreness in the throat
• Frequent dry cough
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue, night sweats, or persistent sweating
• Frequent diarrhoea, feeling nauseous, persistent vomiting 
• White tongue or mouth ulcers
• Frequent infections, constant headaches, skin rashes 
• Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath

People who attain the third stage of HIV, that is, AIDS, are provided with antiretroviral treatment  (ART) to keep the symptoms under control and suppress the spreading of the virus. Though the provision of ART treatment does not entirely cure the disease, it certainly does suppress the symptoms to a great extent and increases the life expectancy of the infected individual.

Report

The WHO has initiated free ART treatment for all the patients infected with HIV since the year 2016. By June 2021, almost 187 countries signed the petition for the ART program for all the HIV-infected individuals of their nation.

Over the world, over 28.2 million people infected with HIV have adopted the treatment policy. This free treatment policy coverage was approximately 73% in the year 2020.

Conclusion

One of the main sources for the transmission of HIV is through sexual intercourse or the usage of the same injections with an infected individual. In the case of infants, HIV is transmitted during the process of birth, in the womb of the infected mother, or during breastfeeding.

HIV can progressively lead to AIDS after a certain period if it isn’t diagnosed during the first two stages. There is no optimal cure for HIV or AIDS in modern science yet, but the ART treatment certainly does help with slowing down the spreading of the virus.

As a person reaches the stage of AIDS, the life expectancy of the infected individual decreases up to a maximum of three years. If that certain individual contracts a major life-threatening disease, the patient’s life expectancy reduces up to a maximum of one year.