HIV infection is associated with AIDS, but the two are not equivalent.
HIV is a virus that causes AIDS (the disease can develop years after the virus is infected) and weakens the body's immune system.
Not all people living with HIV develop AIDS, but HIV infection can further progress to AIDS if treatment is not used with antiretroviral drugs.
According to the World Health Organization, the incubation period for the disease is 10 to 15 years.
Many people living with HIV do not know they are infected. There are about 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States, of whom about 160,000 are undiagnosed and therefore unaware they are infected. This population cannot receive effective treatment without blood tests to confirm infection and seek medical attention.
Approximately 38,000 new HIV infections are added to the United States each year.
In 2016, there were 36.7 million people living with HIV worldwide.
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1. Basic knowledge of HIV
HIV refers to the "human immunodeficiency virus."<
"Immunodeficiency" means that the system in the human body that fights disease is not working properly.
CD4 cells or T cells in the immune system keep the body healthy. HIV, in turn, attacks these cells, and the HIV virus continues to replicate, causing the number of CD4 cells in the body to decrease.
People who lack THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF CD4 CELLS ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BACTERIAL AND VIRAL INFECTIONS. Antiretroviral treatment can stop the destruction of CD4 cells.
HIV infection can be possible by direct contact with the following substances in an infected person:
Blood;
Semen;
Vaginal discharge;
breast milk.
The most common ways in which the virus spreads from person to person are as follows:
Sexual intercourse;
Shared needles;
Mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy.
People living with HIV often say that their symptoms are similar to those of the flu. Early symptoms include:
Fever;
Headache;
Fatigue;
Lymphadenopathy in the neck and groin area.
If you have similar symptoms and may have been exposed to HIV recently, you should seek medical attention and be tested for HIV.
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Second, the basics of AIDS
AIDS is also known as "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome." If left untreated, HIV infection can progress to the disease.
There are about 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States. In 2016, about 18,000 people were diagnosed with AIDS. AIDS is the third stage of HIV infection, the most advanced stage.
People with AIDS have either never been diagnosed with HIV or have not received medications that prevent progression in the early stages.
Doctors monitor the amount of virus in an HIV-infected person. And infected people may hear the term "viral load.". Doctors use two indicators to determine whether the course of the disease has progressed to AIDS:
CD4 cell count in HIV-infected people. A healthy immune system has a CD4 cell count of 500-1600 per microliter of blood, compared to less than 200 cd4 cells per microliter of blood in aids patients.
AIDS defines infection, also known as opportunistic infection, and typically occurs in people with CD4 cell counts below 200. Even viruses, bacteria, or fungi that don't normally make healthy people sick can cause people living with HIV to get sick.
The time at which HIV develops into AIDS varies from person to person. Without treatment, people living with HIV can carry the virus for 10 to 15 years before AIDS develops. And if treated, people living with HIV may not develop AIDS for the rest of their lives.
Once you develop AIDS, you will always be sick. However, if the patient receives antiretroviral therapy, they can still survive for a long time.
AIDS warning signs include:
Sudden weight loss;
Night sweats;
Recurrent fever;
Feeling tired for no reason;
Diarrhea that lasts more than a week;
Ulcers in the mouth, perianal or genital areas;
Pneumonia;
Macules appear on the skin, mouth, nose or eyelids;
Amnesia;
depression.
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3. Treatment
More than 25 drugs have been approved for the treatment of HIV. You may hear that these drugs are called "antiretroviral drugs." Doctors will use these drugs in combination with a prescription for antiretroviral therapy (or ART).
People living with HIV take medications that help prevent the virus from replicating, keeping people healthy, and reducing the risk of transmission to others.
The goal of antiretroviral therapy is to reduce the viral load of hiv-infected people.
This treatment does not completely eliminate HIV, but if administered correctly, the amount of virus in the blood can be controlled and maintained below detectable levels.
Life expectancy and quality of life for people living with HIV are now improving compared to the past, so patients insist on completing their treatment plans.
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
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