HIV Disease

HIV disease is an umbrella term for all the effects of infection with HIV. Over time, HIV damages the immune system by attacking cells called CD4 T-cells. HIV disease has four stages, the last of which is AIDS.

Transmission

• HIV is transmitted through unprotected vaginal, anal and oral intercourse with an infected person, by sharing hypodermic needles with an infected person, and from infected mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. People who believe they have been exposed to HIV should seek out testing.

Acute HIV Infection

• Within two to four weeks after infection, some people develop a flu-like illness, the symptoms of which include sore throat, headache and other aches and pains, digestive troubles, skin rash, swollen lymph glands and tiredness. Some people do not develop symptoms at this time.

Asymptomatic HIV

• Asymptomatic HIV is the second stage of HIV disease, lasting for an average of ten years. During this stage, there are no symptoms present, and many people remain unaware that they have contracted the virus.

Symptomatic HIV

• Symptomatic HIV is the third stage of HIV disease, generally lasting one to three years. In addition to chronic flu-like symptoms, other symptoms include night sweats, weight loss, fungal infections, and skin and breathing ailments.

AIDS

• AIDS is the fourth stage of HIV disease. It is a syndrome, meaning it is characterized by several different conditions, including opportunistic infections (those that do not cause disease in people with healthy immune systems), wasting (severe weight loss), cancers like Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphomas, and neurological conditions including dementia.

Treatment

• The specific treatment for HIV disease is antiretroviral drugs. These are used in a multi-drug treatment plan called HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy). Antiretroviral drugs target HIV at a number of different stages as it invades and infects host cells. There is no cure for HIV.