AIDS – Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome – is a serious immune system disease caused by the HIV virus – Human immunodeficiency virus – from the acronym in English.This disease, if left untreated, can lead to death because the presence of the HIV virus weakens the body’s defense system, leaving the person more vulnerable to other infections with viruses, fungi or bacteria that are normally controlled by a healthy immune system.So far, there is no definitive cure, like a vaccine.
When infected with HIV, a human immunodeficiency virus is said to be HIV positive or HIV positive and can infect others through contact with their blood and/or bodily fluids, even if they have no specific signs or symptoms.
- The virus slowly replicates in the body affecting the human body’s defense cells.
- CD4 T cells.
- The main targets of HIV.
- Are these cells that organize and control the cellular response to microorganisms such as bacteria.
- Viruses and other aggressive agents that infect the human body.
The HIV virus, within the human body, reaches the immune system by adhering to a component of the cell membrane, CD4, as it penetrates into the interior where it multiplies, as a result, the defense system slowly loses the ability to react properly, making the individual more vulnerable to infectious processes.When the body loses the responsiveness to these external agents, signs and/or symptoms that define AIDS appear.This time it usually marks the start of treatment with antiretroviral drugs, which fight the reproduction of the virus.It’s important to know that having HIV doesn’t mean having AIDS.Many HIV-positive people live years without symptoms and without developing the disease, but they can still transmit the virus to others.
AIDS is believed to have occurred in Congo in 1920 but became known in 1981 in the United States, when the first infected people, who had Kaposi sarcoma, a rare type of cancer characterized by the involvement of blood and lymph vessels, began to appear., therefore, the immune system. Although there is still no drug capable of curing AIDS and/or eliminating the HIV virus, with the advances of medicine people can live many years, as long as they receive all the necessary care.
The brief history of AIDS is as follows
AIDS is the name of the disease and HIV is the name of the virus that causes the disease, so it is not exactly the same, besides, having the HIV virus is not the same as showing the disease and its symptoms.In other words, the person may be HIV positive but healthy, while the person with AIDS has an immune system infected with HIV, which weakens the individual with several signs or symptoms of the disease due to the multiplication and aggression of immune cells.
There are two main types of HIV: HIV 1 and HIV 2; However, these viruses have replicated in different ways over time and have therefore been classified as:
When a person discovers that they have been infected with HIV, it is necessary to know what type of virus they have, as there are different treatment regimens for each group.While the HIV 1 A group responds better to a dose of medication, HIV 2 Group E responds best to another type of dose.For example, your doctor requests more specific tests to know the type of virus and its viral load, because HIV treatment is highly individualized and the dose of medications is not exactly the same for all infected people.
HIV virus is found in the blood and bodily fluids, such as breast milk, vaginal secretions, and semen, so a person can become infected with the HIV virus when they come into direct contact with these secretions, which can occur in the following ways:
Getting a blood transfusion a few years ago was a way to get infected, but in recent years, all blood from blood donors has been tested for HIV 1 and HIV 2.If the virus is present in the tested blood, it is discarded, but in case of contamination, the infected person receives appropriate treatment.As a result, all blood donations are safe and FREE of HIV, and are no longer a source of infection.
Factors that increase the risk of transmission are people infected with HIGH viral load HIV, AIDS itself, receptive sex, sex during menstruation, sex with people with mild cancer, syphilis, genital herpes and/or other sexually transmitted infections.
It is important to note that the virus is not transmitted through hugs, kisses and/or contact with HIV-positive people, so it is important to support the person infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, as well as not avoid personal contact and social contact.
Immediately after being infected with the HIV virus you can observe
These symptoms last a maximum of 14 days and can be easily mistaken for a simple flu.Because these symptoms don’t attract attention and seem trivial, it’s normal for a person not to find out they have the virus until months or years after infection, when they get a specific blood test for HIV 1 and HIV 2.But even if HIV if tests are performed at this stage, the result will be negative due to the immune window of the virus.Learn about the HIV immune window.
Usually, these symptoms do not last more than a week and then disappear completely, the virus begins to replicate inside the human body silently, about 8 to 10 years, without generating any symptoms, this phase is called asymptomatic.
The first symptoms of AIDS occur when the body’s defense system is very committed, which promotes the development of diseases, at this stage are:
The symptoms of AIDS are very evident and the immune system is increasingly compromised, which promotes the onset of opportunistic diseases, such as toxoplasmosis, Kaposi sarcoma, hepatitis, herpes and thrush, among others.Here’s how to recognize the symptoms of AIDS.
The only way to confirm that a person is infected with HIV virus and can develop AIDS is to perform a specific blood test called anti-HIV 1 and anti-HIV 2 This blood test is available in all clinics, hospitals and laboratories, and can be performed free of charge by the SUS, at test centers across the country.
This test should be performed by all women who wish to become pregnant, is part of prenatal care of all pregnant women followed in the SUS or in private clinics, and all blood donations are tested, however, anyone can get tested for AIDS.if they think they have been in contact with viruses because they have injected drugs or had sex without a condom, for example.
The best time to get tested for HIV is 40 to 60 days after risky behavior, i.e. after the person believes he or she has been infected, because if the test is done before those 40 days, its result can be a false negative.the result of the HIV test.
Treatment of AIDS is done with antiretroviral therapy, which involves the use of a cocktail of medicines indicated by the doctor and that should be taken daily and that aims to strengthen the immune system and prevent replication of the virus.All AIDS treatments are free of charge. SUS, which provides usage protocols.
Treatment should be done for life and requires periodic tests such as full blood count, liver and kidney evaluation, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, chest x-ray, annual TB test, cervical smear, immune system profile and viruses.Load.
These are used in combination, with variable doses, which can be modified according to protocols and that can be prescribed and changed when necessary, depending on the needs of the person, being doses related to the stage of infection / disease..
The HIV virus replicates in different ways, so drugs that seem to be able to stop their replication stop having effect quickly, as the virus adapts within the body and can replicate in another way.
Several studies look for how to eliminate existing viruses and prevent replication in the body.There is a report of a single case of AIDS cure but with so many peculiarities that it is impossible to replicate the same treatment for all those affected.The HIV vaccine may also be a solution, but its formula has not yet been found.Understand why there is still no vaccine for the HIV virus.
In order not to become infected with the HIV virus and therefore not to develop AIDS, it is recommended that:
HIV-positive patients should also take these precautions to avoid re-becoming infected with another type of HIV virus, as there are several subtypes of viruses that can make it difficult to control the viral load.