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BASIC - SYMPTOMS |
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Someone might be infected with HIV and still look very healthy and alright,
this is because HIV does not just damage the immune system in a day or in weeks
to develop into AIDS,
it has stages through which it totally damage the immune system, and at the time
it means that HIV had damaged it targeted cells ( the T4 lymphocyte) and reduced
it amount to about 200 T4 lymphocytes per blood micro liter. |
Rhoda, an AIDS patient already seeing the symptoms |
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| SYMPTOMS |
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After one to three weeks contacting HIV, the
first set of symptoms are a short flu-like illness that last one to four
weeks, such as fever, skin rash, headache, sore throat, tender lymph nodes
and an indistinct mood of discomfort. During this level of infection,
which is called the acute retroviral syndrome, HIV reproduces quickly in
the blood circulating through all the human body and especially in the
organs of the lymphatic system.
The immune system then prepares its defenses against HIV in order to
reduce but it cannot completely remove it from the blood. Infected persons
pass through an asymptomatic stage, which has no symptoms and last for
several years, during this stage, HIV continues its reproduction, and the
infected person remains in good health. That's how HIV increasingly
destroy the immunity, and during this stage, HIV can be transmitted to
other persons.
Then when the number of T4 lymphocytes decrease to 200 per blood micro
liter, an assortment of not life-threatening symptoms appear and last a
few months to several years. Including these symptoms; extensive weight
loss, fatigue, fever, diarrhea, thrush (a fungal mouth infection), and
vaginal yeast infection in women. These symptoms are grave enough so that
the infested person seeks medial treatment, so they make an HIV test,
which is done by the examination of blood samples of the person being
tested.
The test is made by adding HIV proteins, which have been commercially
prepared to the tested blood. If there are HIV antibodies in the blood
sample, they will bind to the viral protein, and this union will mean that
this blood is infected with HIV (HIV+). If the test proves negative, this
person may still be infected with HIV because HIV antibodies are created
months after the infection. And that's how most of HIV infected person
first know about their infection.
If T4 lymphocyte level drop below 200 T4 lymphocytes per blood microliter,
the late symptomatic stage develops and 26 opportunistic infections and
rare cancers appear and this could be the sign of the complete development
of AIDS, without medical treatment this phase my last months and years and
its increasing effects of the illness usually result death.
HIV infection in children increases more quickly because of their
incomplete immunity, that's why more than half of the infected children
die before age of two |
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| Opportunistic infections |
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When HIV succeeds in damaging an immune system, the following
(opportunistic) infections may occur: |
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| Pneumonia |
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Pneumonia is a lung infection, caused by the fungus Pneumocystis
carinii that chunk the lungs of delivering adequate oxygen to the
blood, which leads to severe shortness of breath accompanied by fever and
dry cough. This fungus is being fought by the immunity of healthy persons
when it infect most of them in childhood. |
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| Meningitis |
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Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that covers the brain
and it's caused by the Cryptococcus. |
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| Histoplasma capsulatum |
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This disease is usually accompanied by weight loss, fever, and
respiratory compilations.
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| Tuberculosis |
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Tuberclosis is a lung infection caused by the bacterium
Mycobaterium tuberulosis that becomes more grave in AIDS patients.
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| Kaposi's sarcoma |
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Kaposi's sarcoma is a cancer of blood vessels that is being caused
by a herpes virus that create purple skin lesions, which an be transmitted
to internal organs and cause death. |
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Other opportunistic infections includes anemia, diarrhea, Cervical cancer
and fever |
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SECTION OUTLINE |
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- Definition: Gives a general insight into the
meaning of HIV/AIDS
- Transmission : How HIV is being transmitted
and stages of it's infection
- Zoonosis : Explains the phenomenon of
Animal to man transmission of HIV
- AIDS Myths : Some myths that are common about
AIDS
- Prevention : Outlines ways of
preventing AIDS
- Symptoms : Describes the how someone feels
when infected with AIDS of HIV
- Treatment : How AIDS victims ought to be
treated
Online Activities
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