what is HIV

In science, the three letters HIV have the meaning "human immunodeficiency virus", formulated for everyday use could it as " immune deficiency virus " call. The virus is only transmitted through contact with infected body fluids, which can be infected blood, but sexual intercourse is usually the carrier of HIV. The virus then attacks certain cells of the immune system so that the body can no longer fight other pathogens such as bacteria, fungi or viruses. HIV can be kept under control with modern treatment options, so that most infected people can live with the virus in their bodies for a long time without the outbreak of AIDS.

HIV: Symptoms of Immunodeficiency Disease

The first signs of HIV appear in the first few weeks after infection. After the infection, however, it takes several years for AIDS to break out. About half of all people infected with HIV are infected with AIDS ten years after being infected. Doctors divide the stages of an HI infection into three classes, depending on the symptoms.

HIV: stage A

The first stage of HIV infection is divided into two phases:

• A few days to weeks after become infected, many, but not all, sufferers notice signs of acute HIV disease. These occur because the viruses multiply rapidly in this phase and the body reacts to them. However, the symptoms of HIV are not specific. Those affected often mistake it for a flu-like infection or a gastrointestinal disease. Medical professionals speak of the primary phase . HIV can now be recognized, for example, by tiredness, fever , acute swallowing difficulties or a sore throat. Diarrhea and vomiting , swollen lymph nodes as well as headaches and body aches are also possible at this stage of an infection with HIV . A so-called HIV-Skin rash , also called HIV patches or rashes . In addition to spots, such an HIV rash can cause pimples or nodules on the upper body and face in the early phase of infection with HIV. In addition, small vesicles (canker sores) or other changes in the tongue or oral mucosa can occur in HIV. How high the viral load is at the end of the primary phase largely determines the further course of the disease. It usually applies: the more viruses, the earlier the affected person reaches the AIDS stage.
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Warning: Anyone who has reason to believe that they may have been infected with HIV, e. B. because he or she had unprotected sex should get tested now. In the second phase (see below) the viral load has almost always fallen back below the detection limit.

 

• The symptoms of the primary phase subside after a short time (max. 14 days). Months or years can pass without symptoms before new signs of HIV infection appear. Doctors call this symptom-free period the latency phase . It can last up to ten year and often ends with swelling of all the lymph nodes all over the body. The HI viruses do not make themselves noticeable during this time, but they are very active, multiply and increasingly weaken the immune system.

HIV: stage B

At this stage, which doctors call “AIDS-related complex” or “ARC” for short, the immune system is already so weakened that the body can no longer fight off various diseases. Typical signs are:

• Night sweats
• diarrhea lasting for weeks
• Pneumonia and meningitis
• bacterial blood poisoning
• fever
• severe weight loss
• whitish changes on the edge of the tongue (oral hairy leukoplakia)
• Fungal infection of the throat

Note: In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, symptoms in women such as vaginal infections or changes in the cervix are possible in this preliminary stage of AIDS.

Stage C: AIDS

Without treatment, the severe immunodeficiency AIDS develops from the HIV infection. The disease can be recognized by various symptoms. The body can defend itself against fewer and fewer diseases, not even against those with which the immune system has no defense problems in healthy people. If the pathogens multiply strongly due to the immune deficiency, such so-called opportunistic infections can be life-threatening. Some of the typical AIDS features include:

• Pneumonia
• Infections in the eye, brain, lungs and intestines
• Tuberculous
• Candida fungus infections of the esophagus
• Brain infections caused by the toxoplasmosis pathogen
• Malignant neoplasms of blood vessels that appear as a red-brown AIDS rash under the skin (so-called AIDS spots)

Another sign of AIDS is wasting syndrome . The patients lose around ten percent of their body weight within just six months and have a fever and diarrhea. In addition, many AIDS patients are more likely to develop lymph gland cancer, as the HIV-related immune deficiency promotes the malignant enlargement of the lymph nodes.