Definition
Definition
Definition
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids/basics/definition/con20013732
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic Staf
The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of infection.
Primary infection
The majority of people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within a month or two
after the virus enters the body. This illness, known as primary or acute HIV infection,
may last for a few weeks. Possible signs and symptoms include:
Fever
Headache
Muscle aches
Rash
Chills
Sore throat
Joint pain
Night sweats
Diarrhea
Although the symptoms of primary HIV infection may be mild enough to go unnoticed,
the amount of virus in the bloodstream (viral load) is particularly high at this time. As
a result, HIV infection spreads more efficiently during primary infection than during
the next stage of infection.
Fever
Fatigue
Swollen lymph nodes often one of the first signs of HIV infection
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Cough
Shortness of breath
Progression to AIDS
If you receive no treatment for your HIV infection, the disease typically progresses to
AIDS in about 10 years. By the time AIDS develops, your immune system has been
severely damaged, making you susceptible to opportunistic infections diseases
that wouldn't trouble a person with a healthy immune system.
The signs and symptoms of some of these infections may include:
Shaking chills or fever higher than 100 F (38 C) for several weeks
Cough
Shortness of breath
Chronic diarrhea
Headaches
Weight loss
Causes
By Mayo Clinic Staf
Scientists believe a virus similar to HIV first occurred in some populations of chimps
and monkeys in Africa, where they're hunted for food. Contact with an infected
monkey's blood during butchering or cooking may have allowed the virus to cross into
humans and become HIV.
Pneumocystis pneumonia
Cytomegalovirus
Tuberculosis
Toxoplasmosis
Cryptosporidiosis
By having sex. You may become infected if you have vaginal, anal or oral sex with an
infected partner whose blood, semen or vaginal secretions enter your body. The virus can
enter your body through mouth sores or small tears that sometimes develop in the rectum
or vagina during sexual activity.
From blood transfusions. In some cases, the virus may be transmitted through
blood transfusions. American hospitals and blood banks now screen the blood supply for
HIV antibodies, so this risk is very small.
Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic Staf
When HIV/AIDS first surfaced in the United States, it mainly afected men who had
sex with men. However, now it's clear that HIV is also spread through heterosexual
sex.
Anyone of any age, race, sex or sexual orientation can be infected, but you're at
greatest risk of HIV/AIDS if you:
Have unprotected sex. Unprotected sex means having sex without using a new latex
or polyurethane condom every time. Anal sex is more risky than is vaginal sex. The risk
increases if you have multiple sexual partners.
Have another STI. Many sexually transmitted infections (STIs) produce open sores
on your genitals. These sores act as doorways for HIV to enter your body.
Use intravenous drugs. People who use intravenous drugs often share needles and
syringes. This exposes them to droplets of other people's blood.
Are an uncircumcised man. Studies indicate that lack of circumcision increases the
risk of heterosexual transmission of HIV.
Complications
By Mayo Clinic Staf
HIV infection weakens your immune system, making you highly susceptible to
numerous infections and certain types of cancers.
Salmonellosis. You contract this bacterial infection from contaminated food or water.
Signs and symptoms include severe diarrhea, fever, chills, abdominal pain and,
occasionally, vomiting. Although anyone exposed to salmonella bacteria can become
sick, salmonellosis is far more common in HIV-positive people.
Kaposi's sarcoma. A tumor of the blood vessel walls, this cancer is rare in
people not infected with HIV, but common in HIV-positive people.
Kaposi's sarcoma usually appears as pink, red or purple lesions on the skin and
mouth. In people with darker skin, the lesions may look dark brown or black.
Kaposi's sarcoma can also afect the internal organs, including the digestive tract
and lungs.
Lymphomas. This type of cancer originates in your white blood cells and usually first
appears in your lymph nodes. The most common early sign is painless swelling of the
lymph nodes in your neck, armpit or groin.
Other complications
Neurological complications. Although AIDS doesn't appear to infect the nerve cells,
it can cause neurological symptoms such as confusion, forgetfulness, depression, anxiety
and difficulty walking. One of the most common neurological complications is AIDS
dementia complex, which leads to behavioral changes and diminished mental functioning.
At Mayo Clinic, we take the time to listen, to find answers and to provide you
HIV is most commonly diagnosed by testing your blood or saliva for antibodies to the
virus. Unfortunately, it takes time for your body to develop these antibodies usually
up to 12 weeks. In rare cases, it can take up to six months for an HIV antibody test to
become positive.
A newer type of test that checks for HIV antigen, a protein produced by the virus
immediately after infection, can confirm a diagnosis within days of infection. An earlier
diagnosis may prompt people to take extra precautions to prevent transmission of the
virus to others. There is also increasing evidence that early treatment may be of
benefit.
CD4 count. CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell that's specifically targeted and
destroyed by HIV. A healthy person's CD4 count can vary from 500 to more than 1,000.
Even if you have no symptoms, HIV infection progresses to AIDS when your CD4 count
dips below 200.
Viral load. This test measures the amount of virus in your blood. Studies have shown
that people with higher viral loads generally fare more poorly than do those with a lower
viral load.
Drug resistance. This blood test determines whether the strain of HIV you have will
be resistant to certain anti-HIV medications.
Your doctor might also order lab tests to check for other infections or complications,
including:
Tuberculosis
Hepatitis
Toxoplasmosis
At Mayo Clinic, we take the time to listen, to find answers and to provide you
There's no cure for HIV/AIDS, but a variety of drugs can be used in combination to
control the virus. Each class of anti-HIV drugs blocks the virus in diferent ways. It's
best to combine at least three drugs from two classes to avoid creating strains of HIV
that are immune to single drugs.
The classes of anti-HIV drugs include:
Protease inhibitors (PIs). PIs disable protease, another protein that HIV needs to
make copies of itself. Examples include atazanavir (Reyataz), darunavir (Prezista),
fosamprenavir (Lexiva) and ritonavir (Norvir).
Entry or fusion inhibitors. These drugs block HIV's entry into CD4 cells. Examples
include enfuvirtide (Fuzeon) and maraviroc (Selzentry).
You're pregnant
Heart disease
Weakened bones
Shortness of breath
Skin rash
Treatment response
Your doctor will monitor your viral load and CD4 counts to determine your response to
treatment. Viral load should be tested at the start of treatment and then every three to
four months during therapy. CD4 counts should be checked every three to six
months.
HIV treatment should reduce your viral load to the point that it's undetectable. That
doesn't mean your HIV is gone. It just means that the test isn't sensitive enough to
detect it. You can still transmit HIV to others when your viral load is undetectable.
Although it's important to receive medical treatment for HIV/AIDS, it's also essential
to take an active role in your own care. The following suggestions may help you stay
healthy longer:
Eat healthy foods. Emphasize fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean
protein. Healthy foods help keep you strong, give you more energy and support your
immune system.
Avoid certain foods. Foodborne illnesses can be especially severe in people who
are infected with HIV. Avoid unpasteurized dairy products, raw eggs and raw seafood
such as oysters, sushi or sashimi. Cook meat until it's well-done or until there's no trace
of pink color.
Get immunizations. These may prevent infections such as pneumonia and the flu.
Make sure the vaccines don't contain live viruses, which can be dangerous for people
with weakened immune systems.
Take care with companion animals. Some animals may carry parasites that can
cause infections in people who are HIV-positive. Cat feces can cause toxoplasmosis,
reptiles can carry salmonella, and birds can carry the fungus cryptococcus or
histoplasmosis.
Alternative medicine
By Mayo Clinic Staf
People who are infected with HIV sometimes try dietary supplements that claim to
boost the immune system or counteract side efects of anti-HIV drugs.
Fish oil. Some anti-HIV drugs can cause increases in cholesterol levels. Studies
indicate that fish oil supplements can help bring those numbers down.
Whey protein. Preliminary evidence indicates that whey protein, a cheese byproduct,
can help some people with HIV gain weight. Whey protein also appears to reduce
diarrhea and increase CD4 counts.
St. John's wort. Commonly used to combat depression, St. John's wort can reduce
the efectiveness of several types of anti-HIV drugs by more than 50 percent.
Garlic supplements. Although garlic may help strengthen the immune system, it also
interacts with several anti-HIV drugs reducing their efectiveness by 50 percent.
Occasionally eating garlic in food appears to be safe.
Prevention
By Mayo Clinic Staf
There's no vaccine to prevent HIV infection and no cure for AIDS. But it's possible to
protect yourself and others from infection. That means educating yourself about HIV
and avoiding any behavior that allows HIV-infected fluids blood, semen, vaginal
secretions and breast milk into your body.
To help prevent the spread of HIV:
Use a new condom every time you have sex. If you don't know the HIV status of
your partner, use a new condom every time you have anal or vaginal sex. Women can
use a female condom. Use only water-based lubricants. Oil-based lubricants can weaken
condoms and cause them to break. During oral sex use a condom, dental dam a piece
of medical-grade latex or plastic wrap.
Consider the drug Truvada. In July 2012, the Food and Drug Administration
approved the use of the combination drug emtricitabine-tenofovir (Truvada) to
reduce the risk of sexually transmitted HIV infection in those who are at high risk.
Truvada is also used as an HIV treatment along with other medications.
When used to help prevent HIV infection, Truvada is only appropriate if your
doctor is certain you don't already have an HIV infection. Your doctor should also
test for hepatitis B infection. If you have hepatitis B, your doctor should test your
kidney function before prescribing Truvada.
Truvada must be taken daily, exactly as prescribed, and you'll need follow-up HIV
and kidney function testing every few months. Truvada should only be used along
with other prevention strategies such as condom use every time you have sex.
Tell your sexual partners if you have HIV. It's important to tell anyone with whom
you've had sex that you're HIV-positive. Your partners need to be tested and to receive
medical care if they have the virus. They also need to know their HIV status so that they
don't infect others.
Use a clean needle. If you use a needle to inject drugs, make sure it's sterile and
don't share it. Take advantage of needle-exchange programs in your community and
consider seeking help for your drug use.
If you're pregnant, get medical care right away. If you're HIV-positive, you may
pass the infection to your baby. But if you receive treatment during pregnancy, you can
cut your baby's risk by as much as two-thirds.
Consider male circumcision. There's evidence that male circumcision can help
reduce a man's risk of acquiring HIV.