HIV-AIDS

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is the virus medical researchers believe causes AIDS. (Medical researchers believe that HIV is causative agent of AIDS).HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks and damages the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to resist againstinfections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease.
There are some medical treatments that can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system and that can prevent or cure some of the illnesses associated with advanced HIV disease. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventive care.

Sign and Symptoms of HIV

Initially, when the person has infected with HIV have few or no symptoms, testing is the only way to know for sure if you are infected with HIV (or not). There are, however, assortments of symptoms that can be associated with HIV infection. Although it's more common to develop a brief flu like, illness two to four weeks after becoming infected. Signs and symptoms may include:

Fever
Headache
Sore throat
Swollen lymph glands
Rash

Later infection

There is no sign and symptom of HIV infection for eight or nine years or more. But as the virus continues to multiply and destroy immune cells, it may develop mild infections or chronic symptoms such as:

Swollen lymph nodes - often one of the first signs of HIV infection
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Fever
Cough and shortness of breath

Last phase of infection

During the last phase of HIV - which occurs approximately 10 or more years after the initial infection - more serious symptoms may begin to appear and the infection may then meet the official definition of AIDS. In 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) redefined AIDS to mean the presence of HIV infection as shown by a positive HIV antibody test plus at least one of the following:

1. the development of an opportunistic infection, an infection that occurs when your immune system is impaired, such as pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP)
2. A CD4 lymphocyte count of 200 or less, a normal count ranges from 800 to 1,200

By the time AIDS develops, your immune system has been severely damaged, making you susceptible to opportunistic infections. The signs and

symptoms of some of these infections may include:

Soaking night sweats
Shaking chills or fever higher than 100 F (38 C) for several weeks
Dry cough and shortness of breath
Chronic diarrhea
Persistent white spots or unusual lesions on your tongue or in your mouth
Headaches
Blurred and distorted vision
Weight loss

Signs and symptoms of later stage HIV infection itself, such as:

Persistent, unexplained fatigue
Soaking night sweats
Shaking chills or fever higher than 100 F (38 C) for several weeks
Swelling of lymph nodes for more than three months
Chronic diarrhea
Persistent headaches

If you're infected with HIV, you're also more likely to develop certain cancers, especially Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical cancer and lymphoma, although improved treatments have reduced the risk of these illnesses.

AIDS stands for

A - Acquired
I - Immunodeficiency
S - Syndrome

AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment to reach this stage. Having AIDS means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting infection. When someone has one or more specific infections, certain cancers, or a very low number of T cells, he or she is considered to have AIDS.

Definition of AIDS by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a part of the United States federal government, is responsible for determining who is classified as having AIDS. The CDC is also responsible for tracking the spread of HIV and AIDS in the United States.

The AIDS definition developed by the CDC includes the following conditions:

“A person must be HIV positive, AND Have a CD4 (T-cell) count below 200 OR one or more opportunistic infections.”

A positive HIV test result does not mean that a person has AIDS. A diagnosis of AIDS is made by a physician using the above clinical criteria.