What is HIV?

Dec 9, 2020 | 0 comments

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks the body’s immune system. A healthy immune system is what keeps you from getting sick.

When HIV damages your immune system, you are more likely to get sick from bacteria and viruses. It is also harder for your body to fight off these infections when you do get them, so you may have trouble getting better.

HIV is the condition that leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is considered to be the final stage of HIV, also known as stage 3 HIV. With treatment, most Americans who have HIV are unlikely to develop AIDS.

Symptoms of HIV

When first infected with HIV, you may not experience any symptoms. More often, though, you’ll have flu-like symptoms, including:

Fever
Headache
Fatigue
Swollen lymph nodes (lymph glands)
Sore throat
Rash

As the disease progresses, symptoms may appear and/or get worse. This may take time. Some people who have HIV do not begin experiencing symptoms for up to 10 years. When symptoms do appear, they can include:

Swollen lymph nodes (lymph glands)
Diarrhea
Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
Unintended weight loss

What causes HIV?

HIV can only be passed from person to person through body fluids, such as blood, semen, and vaginal fluid.

Children born to infected mothers can also become infected during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. However, this happens less often now. It can be prevented by giving medicines to the pregnant mother and to her newborn baby.

The most common ways HIV is passed are:

By having unprotected anal, vaginal, or oral sex with an infected person.
By sharing needles and syringes for injecting drugs with an infected person.

You are more at risk for HIV if you:

Have multiple sex partners
Have sex with a prostitute
Share needles using illegal injected drugs
Exchange sex for drugs or money
Have a sexually transmitted disease
Currently have or did have a sexual partner with any of the above risk factors
Are a man who has sex with other men

How is HIV diagnosed?

If you think you may be infected with HIV, contact us immediately. Even though there is no cure for the disease, early diagnosis and treatment with medicines can be started to slow the progression of the disease. We will be able to give you more advice about how to take care of yourself if tests show that you have HIV.

Since most people who are infected with HIV appear healthy, a blood test for the virus is necessary to see who has the infection. People who have a positive blood test for HIV are called HIV-positive. Ask us how to obtain confidential testing for HIV. We can help you understand what the test results mean.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) encourages all sexually active people between 18 years and 65 years of age to get tested. Children younger than 18 and adults older than 65 should be tested if they are at an increased risk of getting the virus. The AAFP also recommends that pregnant women be tested for HIV. Most HIV antibody tests done are accurate if they are done 2 to 3 months or longer after you think you may have been infected. It takes this long for the antibodies to show up in the blood.

Does it help me to find out I have HIV at an early stage?

Yes. Right now, there is no cure for HIV. Your body can make antibodies and CD4 cells to slow down the progress of HIV, but they can’t totally get rid of the virus. In fact, the very act of attacking the HIV infection may wear out your immune system in a short time.

However, treatment with HIV medicines (usually a combination of medicines called anti-retroviral drugs) can hold down the virus and keep your body’s immune system strong for a longer time. That’s why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends early treatment of people who have HIV.

Can HIV be prevented or avoided?

The best way to prevent HIV is to not have sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) with a person who has HIV, or share a needle with a person who has HIV.

Other ways to prevent HIV include:

When you have sex, practice “safer” sex by using a condom. The best condom is a male latex condom. A female condom is not as effective but does offer some protection.
Do not share needles and syringes.
Never let someone else’s blood, semen, urine, vaginal fluid, or feces get into your anus, vagina, or mouth.

HIV treatment

Even though there is no cure for HIV, there are many medicines available to help combat it. These medicines (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) will often prevent HIV from progressing to AIDS. Even when HIV does progress to AIDS, antiretroviral therapy is often still effective. However, it is most effective the earlier you begin treatment.

Better ART has changed HIV disease from the leading killer of young adults to a chronic disease that can be controlled for decades. However, even though you can take HIV medicines and feel okay, you could still give the virus to others through unsafe sex or blood exchanges. The medicines don’t kill the virus — they just keep your immune system strong enough to prevent AIDS or slow it down.

With treatment, the survival rate for HIV is very good. In the United States, people with HIV who are diagnosed early can have a life span that is about the same as someone like them who does not HIV, according to HIV.gov.

Living with HIV

If you are HIV positive, you need to take very good care of yourself. Be sure to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get plenty of rest. Make sure you follow instructions and take all of your medicines exactly as directed. You can also take steps to keep yourself from getting infections or diseases that are more common in people who have HIV.

It is also important to have check ups regularly so that we can monitor your treatment. Frequency of visits is based on your CD4 cell count. As long as your CD4 cell count is good, we will probably schedule an office visit 6 six months. If it drops below 500, we may need to see you every 3 months. We might schedule more frequent visits if you are trying a new medicine to see how you’re responding to it. It is important to make sure your HIV infection is not getting worse.

Some of the things that might tell us your HIV infection has gotten worse since your last visit are:

New symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fatigue, fever, headache, chills, night sweats, cough, shortness of breath or diarrhea.
Signs of weight loss, mouth sores (such as thrush, which is a yeast infection), or bigger lymph nodes (glands located in your neck, armpits and hip area).
A drop in the CD4 cell count in your blood.
A rise in the viral load in your blood.

You should also proactively try to prevent other infections and complications. HIV can make you high risk for other diseases and conditions because it weakens your immune system. Here are some things you can do to help protect yourself.

A flu shot every fall helps prevent the flu.
A periodic pneumonia shot can prevent pneumonia caused by the bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae. It’s easier for people who have HIV to get this kind of pneumonia. We will review your immunization history to determine when you need to get these shots.
A tuberculosis (TB) skin test every year can tell if you have TB. TB is a very serious illness, especially in people who have HIV.
A Pap test for women checks for dysplasia (a pre-cancer condition) and for cancer of the cervix. Both of these conditions occur more often in women who have HIV infection. At first, Pap tests are done every 6 months. After 2 Pap tests in a row are normal, you might only have to get them once a year.

A hepatitis B test is important for people who are at risk for hepatitis B infection. You’re at risk for this infection if you inject drugs. If the test shows you don’t have hepatitis B infection, we want you to have the hepatitis B vaccine to protect you from getting the infection.

Questions to ask

Is there any sure way to avoid getting HIV infection?
What is the best treatment for me?
How can I avoid getting any infections that will make me very sick?
How can I find support groups in my community?
What diagnostic tests will you run?
How often will I need to see my doctor?
Will there be any side effects to my treatment?
Is it safe for me to breastfeed my baby?
Will using a condom keep my girlfriend/boyfriend from getting infected with HIV?
Should I follow a special diet?