The HIV virus that changes the functioning of the immune system also increase the risks of other infections and diseases. If you leave the symptoms of HIV untreated, the infection can move on to an advanced stage also called AIDS.
The virus is usually transmitted through blood, rectal fluids, vagina, semen and breast milk and AIDS symptoms develop at a certain point when the patients leave the symptoms untreated. Without treatment, a person suffering from AIDS is less likely to live beyond three years. However, with antiretroviral therapy, the symptoms of the disease can be managed properly, and life expectancy can be increased as a result.
Things to know
Knowing the ways in which the virus can be transmitted can help you to prevent this disease, but if you are already diagnosed with the symptoms, you must learn about the treatment options available for managing them.
Spreading the disease:
The HIV virus responsible for causing AIDS can spread through anal or vaginal sex and men and women having sex with the same gender increase the tendency of transmission. Sharing needles, injections, and syringes is another reason along with the equipment used during tattoo without sterilizing them adequately. The virus can also transmit from a mother to a child during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. It can also spread during breastfeeding, chewing the baby’s food before feeding.
Symptoms of AIDS:
During the first few weeks after contracting the virus is an acute stage of infection as the virus reproduces very fast during this stage and the immune system of the individual responds by producing antibodies or proteins that are known to fight the infection.
During this stage, no significant symptoms may appear, and the signs show only after a couple of months. Often people confuse the symptoms of AIDS with seasonal flu or viruses and these symptoms may last shorter or longer from a few days to several weeks.
Some of the early signs and symptoms of this disease are fever, pains and aches, rash on the skin, swollen lymph nodes, headache, nausea, stomach upset, and sore throat. The initial symptoms can resolve within a few months after contracting the virus and the later or the chronic stage may last for decades with the treatment.
Chronic stage symptoms:
The chronic stage symptoms differ from the initial stage and during this stage, you may suffer from recurrent fevers, fatigue, night sweats, vomiting, diarrhoea, weight loss, and pneumonia. At this stage, the symptoms can come and go or develop more rapidly and can be slowed with proper treatment.
Diagnosis:
The doctor can test the presence of the HIV virus through specific blood tests, but it takes about three to six months to show up on the tests. Proper diagnosis is important and improves the chances of successful treatment.
Treatment of AIDS
Presently, there is no cure available for AIDS although the treatments can slow down the progression of the disease allowing people suffering from this disease to live and long and healthy life. Starting early is also necessary and improves the quality of life on the whole.
