What Is AIDS? 

AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a final stage of fatal, infectious, immunological disorder, which is caused by a rapidly transmuting retrovirus, human immunodeficiency virus known as HIV. It is a condition identified by illness that shows a reduced immune response in a healthy person. The infection may not cause disease for a longer period of time; however, gradually, it weakens the immune system of the body making it susceptible to infections. The human immune system is fatally depressed by the disease. 

How It Spreads? 

The virus is contagious through some body fluids and is mainly passed on through sexual behavior and administering drugs within the vein. The risk of getting infected is greater when the virus enters through anus, broken skin, vagina, penis, ulcers, especially the ones, due to sexually transmitted diseases, shared needles and traumatic wound and during the time of childbirth.  

Early Symptoms 

After three to six weeks after the virus is contacted, one can feel the symptoms like flu-like illness with fever, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, nausea, engorged lymph node etc which is called acute HIV syndrome. AIDS symptoms include lack of energy, rapid loss of weight, frequent fever and sweat, thick coating of tongue and mouth, headaches or lightheadedness or dizziness during the periods in addition to fatigue, easy bruising of the skin, long lasting diarrhea, deep dry coughing, shortness of breath, etc. 

HIV or AIDS- How to Find Out the Stages? 

The signs of AIDS include low number of CD4 cells also called T4 cells, which may get down as low as below 200. The normal value of a healthy uninfected individual ranges between 500 and 1500. There will be frequent of severe vaginal infections, formation of frequent skin rashes etc. Based upon the number of T4 cells and the occurrence of some conditions and infections, it can be diagnosed whether the HIV infestation has advanced to AIDS.  

There are three conditions after the invasion of the virus. They are asymptomatic, symptomatic and AIDS, in which the CD4 cell count is > 500/mm³, 200 to 499/mm³ and <200/mm³ respectively. In the initial asymptomatic stage, the symptoms are not prominent. The symptoms of HIV will begin to show up in symptomatic stage. One or more infections and conditions indicative of HIV infection advanced to AIDS can be found in the extreme condition, where CD4 cell count is less than 200. Cancers like Kaposi’s sarcoma, lymphoma, cervical cancer etc are indicative of development of AIDS. The common opportunistic infections are fungal infections like yeast infections, bacterial infections like tuberculosis, viral infections like herpes simplex and parasitic infections like toxoplasmosis. 

HIV Symptoms 

HIV symptoms are the ones that occur before the advanced stage of AIDS. The opportunistic infections that are related to HIV symptoms include symptoms of depression, swollen lymph nodes, disorders of Gastro intestinal tracts, diseases of respiratory system, skin and mucous membrane infections, skin rashes, neurological and emotional disturbances etc. The only way to find out the infestation of HIV is testing for HIV infection and it is better not to rely only on the symptoms, since they may not appear even after infestation.

AIDS – Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, describes the collection of symptoms and infections that commonly complicate the state of a unique acquired immunodeficiency. The virus affects the cells of the human immune system and impairs their function. It progressively disables part of the immune system. So the immune system no longer fights certain infections and diseases and kills the individual. The immunodeficient people are vulnerable to a wide range of infections.  

Relationship between HIV and AIDS  

HIV and AIDS are two different stages. An individual when he or she acquires the HIV virus from some source, and the virus starts to replicate in the individual, the individual is infected. He appears and functions as any other healthy individual. At this stage also, he can be transmitting infection unknowingly. But after a variable number of years the infection overwhelms and makes the individual immunodeficient. He becomes sick. This late stage of the disease is called AIDS. When suffering from HIV AIDS, the individual has a number of infections that usually do not affect a healthy person. The infected person loses weight and usually loses the battle of life soon after, mostly due to the numerous infections.   

After the initial infection with the AIDS causing virus, immediately no symptoms develop and the patient is as normal as any other individual. So the infected people and others are not and cannot be aware that they are infected. When the infection gains an upper hand, some people have fever, rashes, joint pain and enlarged lymph nodes. A HIV infected person in the later stages is highly infectious through his bodily fluids. They can transmit the virus to another person.  

Carriers of HIV virus 

The important AIDS information is HIV is found in high concentration in bodily fluids like, blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. It is transmitted through infected blood transfusion, sex with an infected individual, using needles contaminated with the virus and infected mothers can transmit the virus to the newborn or transmit the virus through breast feeding. HIV virus cannot be transmitted by touching, talking, kissing, sharing toilets, or through fomites like clothes, towels, bedding, etc.   

Indiscriminate sexual relationships must be avoided. Reckless sexual activities should be strongly discouraged in the strongest possible way and the knowledge disseminated widely among high risk behavior groups. When blood transfusion is absolutely indicated, safe screened blood from a reputed blood bank should be chosen. Reusing needles must be discouraged. All antenatal mothers must be screened and proper antenatal care stressed and instituted.  

When indicated, disposable needles or needles that are properly sterilized only should be used. For body piercing and tattooing, the instruments used for penetrating the skin, should be disposable or properly sterilized according to the issued guidelines, before reusing. Sharing razor with an infected person is highly risky, unless sterilized.  

Cure for AIDS 

The origin of the HIV virus is still under scrutiny. The HIV infection was first described in the year 1981. It is now widely rampant in countries where poor hygiene prevails and where transmission is easy and the knowledge of the disease is low.  

There is no cure for HIV infection. No vaccine is available. But there are drugs to reduce viral replication and to treat the infections that the individuals suffer in the advanced stages.  

The Internet and world of books is filled with a lot of information about AIDS. If you have a doubt, just log on to the top search engines. You can find all that you want to know, by typing the words AIDS info.