What is HIV?
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It harms your immune system by destroying a type of white blood cell that helps your body fight infection. This puts you at risk for serious infections and certain cancers.
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the final stage of infection with HIV. It happens when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus. Not everyone with HIV develops AIDS.
What’s the difference between HIV and AIDS?
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. HIV and AIDS are not the same thing. And people with HIV do not always have AIDS.
HIV is the virus that’s passed from person to person. Over time, HIV destroys an important kind of the cell in your immune system (called CD4 cells or T cells) that helps protect you from infections. When you don’t have enough of these CD4 cells, your body can’t fight off infections the way it normally can.
AIDS is the disease caused by the damage that HIV does to your immune system. You have AIDS when you get dangerous infections or have a super low number of CD4 cells. AIDS is the most serious stage of HIV, and it leads to death over time.
Without treatment, it usually takes about 10 years for someone with HIV to develop AIDS. Treatment slows down the damage the virus causes and can help people stay healthy for several decades.
How does HIV/AIDS spread?
HIV can spread in different ways:
- Through unprotected sex with a person with HIV. This is the most common way that it spreads.
- By sharing needles or syringes for shooting drugs, piercings, tattoos, etc.
- Through contact with the blood of a person with HIV
- Getting HIV-infected blood, semen (cum), or vaginal fluids into open cuts or sores on your body
- From mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding
Who is at risk for HIV/AIDS infection?
Anyone can get HIV, but certain groups have a higher risk of getting it:
- People who have another sexually transmitted disease (STD). Having an STD can increase your risk of getting or spreading HIV.
- People who inject drugs with shared needles
- People who engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as not using condoms
- Are men who have sex with men
- Have a partner who is at high risk or already has HIV
- Have many sex partners /Have sex with someone who has many partners
- Are exposed to blood or bodily fluids with HIV
- Were born when their birth mother had HIV
What are the symptoms of HIV/AIDS?
The first signs of HIV infection may be flu-like symptoms:
- Fever
- Chills
- Rash
- Night sweats
- Muscle aches
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Mouth ulcers
These symptoms may come and go within two to four weeks. This stage is called acute HIV infection.
If the infection is not treated, it becomes chronic HIV infection. Often, there are no symptoms during this stage. If it is not treated, eventually the virus will weaken your body’s immune system. Then the infection will progress to AIDS. This is the late stage of HIV infection. With AIDS, your immune system is badly damaged. You can get more and more severe infections. These are known as opportunistic infections (OIs).
How do I know if I have HIV/AIDS?
While there are symptoms and early warning signs of an HIV infection, the only way to know for sure whether you have the virus is by getting tested. This needn’t be a scary process, and it’s vital you seek treatment as soon as possible to avoid further complications or infecting others.
When to get tested HIV/AIDS?
It is important to get tested for HIV if you suspect you have been exposed to it or if you engage in behaviors that put you at a high chance of contracting the virus.
You can get free HIV tests if you are insured, or you can seek out a local clinic that provides free or low-cost testing to anyone uninsured.
Knowing your HIV status is important for several reasons. If your HIV test result is positive, it can be useful because you can:
- begin treatment right away
- avoid transmitting HIV
- contact anyone who may have been exposed
What are the treatments for HIV/AIDS?
There is no cure for HIV infection, but it can be treated with medicines. This is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART can make HIV infection a manageable chronic condition. It also reduces the risk of spreading the virus to others.
Most people with HIV live long and healthy lives if they get and stay on ART. It’s also important to take care of yourself. Making sure that you have the support you need, living a healthy lifestyle, and getting regular medical care can help you enjoy a better quality of life.
Can HIV/AIDS be prevented?
You can reduce the risk of spreading HIV by:
- Getting tested for HIV
- Choosing less risky sexual behaviors. This includes limiting the number of sexual partners you have and using latex condoms every time you have sex.
- Getting tested and treated for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
- Don’t misuse injectable illegal drugs or share needles.
- Talking to your health care provider about medicines to prevent HIV:
- PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is for people who don’t already have HIV but are at very high risk of getting it. PrEP is daily medicine that can reduce this risk.
- PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is for people who have possibly been exposed to HIV. It is only for emergency situations. PEP must be started within 72 hours after a possible exposure to HIV.
References
HIV/AIDS https://medlineplus.gov/hivaids.html
What is HIV & AIDS?
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/hiv-aids
8 Ways to Prevent HIV
https://www.healthline.com/health/hiv-aids/hiv-prevention/hiv-prevention#getting-tested
Risk Factors for AIDS
https://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=19029
How do you know if you have HIV?
https://patient.info/news-and-features/how-do-you-know-if-you-have-hiv
