what to say when someone says they have hiv
What Is HIV? Understanding Causes, Symptoms, Treatments and More than
Man immunodeficiency virus, more commonly known equally HIV, is a virus that, without treatment, leads to deterioration of your body's immune organization to a bespeak where your body has trouble fighting off mild infections. When your allowed system has become severely damaged after a prolonged period with HIV, it's known as acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS.
HIV is a bloodborne retrovirus that infects specific cells in the human immune system chosen CD4 T cells. CD4 cells normally play an important role in your immune system. They're responsible for detecting harmful pathogens like leaner and viruses so your body can begin fighting off those pathogens.
In that location's no cure for HIV, and once you contract it, the virus will remain in your body for life. Over time, if left untreated, HIV tin progressively damage your immune system to a betoken where you go susceptible to AIDS-defining illnesses — infections and conditions that wouldn't normally make you ill if your immune organization was functioning properly.
In award of National HIV/AIDS & Aging Awareness Twenty-four hours, nosotros're going to discuss the causes of, symptoms of, and treatments for HIV and AIDs.
Many people take no symptoms at all after initially becoming infected with HIV. Yet, most people practise feel some not-specific symptoms within the start few weeks later infection. This means the symptoms are typical of many illnesses and don't immediately point to one specific condition as their cause. For HIV, non-specific symptoms include:
- Flu-like symptoms
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Headache
- Stiff or aching muscles
- Rash
- Mouth ulcers
- Sore pharynx
- Sweating at night
- Swollen lymph glands
After this initial illness, which is known as "seroconversion," about people alive for many years without whatsoever symptoms until the virus has harmed their immune system to a point where they first to become significantly more than vulnerable to infections and illnesses.
HIV is present in the blood, pre-ejaculatory fluid, semen, vaginal fluid, rectal fluid, and breast milk of people with the virus. HIV can exist transmitted by:
- Sexual contact, including vaginal, anal, and oral sex, and through the sharing of sexual activity toys
- Sharing of needles, which most normally occurs in groups of people who are using intravenous drugs
- Receiving a blood transfusion from an infected individual; this rarely occurs in developed countries, as donor blood is usually screened for blood-borne viruses such as HIV
- Childbirth; HIV tin can be passed from the meaning parent to the kid during pregnancy or childbirth
- Breastfeeding; HIV exists in breast milk and can be passed on to a child
In rare cases, HIV can also be spread past:
- Ingesting pre-chewed food from someone who has the virus; this is a mutual practice in some underdeveloped countries and is generally done to feed small-scale children or elderly people
- Being bitten by someone or biting someone who has HIV
- Kissing, if there is bleeding within the mouth
- Undergoing body-modification procedures such as tattoos or piercings if tools are not properly sterilized between clients
The vast majority of cases of HIV in the United States are acquired via sexual contact. HIV cannot be spread by:
- Air
- Water
- Insect bites
- Saliva
- Sweat
- Tears
- Casual contact such as shaking hands or hugging
Diagnosing HIV
HIV is usually diagnosed via a blood test. The most accurate and reliable test is known as a 4th-generation test. It checks for both a specific part of the HIV viral structure (called the p24 antigen) and your own trunk'southward response to the infection (HIV antibodies).
Indicate-of-care tests are also available, and they differ from fourth-generation tests. These take a small sample of saliva or blood and provide a result in less than an hr. Still, these are less sensitive and may non pick up all cases of HIV due to the smaller concentration of antibodies in the saliva or small blood sample. Yous should always follow up a point-of-care outcome with a confirmatory laboratory exam. In that location are as well self-sampling and domicile-testing kits available.
Any positive upshot is normally repeated to check it wasn't a rare fake-positive. If y'all're diagnosed with HIV, you'll exist referred to a specialist HIV heart to discuss treatment correct away.
HIV has a window period, significant it tin can take a certain length of time for a exam to be able to detect the virus in your body. Many newer tests can determine results in 99% of people 45 days following their potential exposure. If y'all retrieve you might accept been exposed to HIV, it may non prove upwardly in a blood test for 45 days. Bespeak-of-intendance testing and calm testing can have an even longer window menstruation, sometimes lasting up to 12 weeks.
Handling for HIV
There is no cure for HIV, but the infection can be managed, allowing people with the virus to lead long and normal lives. Treatment for HIV usually involves a number of different antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. The virus requires an enzyme called protease in order to replicate, so treatment volition involve protease inhibitors as well as ARV drugs. This combination of medications is called highly active antiretroviral treatment, or HAART.
The aim of handling is to reduce the level of circulating virus particles in your body to a indicate where HIV is no longer detectable. This means that the virus is at such depression levels that it won't cause nearly every bit much damage to your immune system, and you likely won't be able to transmit it to anyone. Undetectable means untransmissable. Many people reach this level within six months of handling.
HIV drugs, like any medication, can cause side furnishings, such equally nausea, diarrhea, headache and rash. Some people experience long-term side furnishings, such equally changes in blood cholesterol levels or interference with liver or kidney performance. You'll exist regularly monitored for these side effects once you start medication therapy.
How well the treatment is working is monitored by ii parameters: the HIV viral load, meaning how many viral particles are nowadays in your blood, and the CD4 count, which is a measure of how much the HIV virus has damaged specific claret cells of your allowed organisation.
Post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, is a set of medications that you can have very soon afterwards potential exposure to HIV. In most cases, these drugs can preclude infection from occurring. This treatment should only exist used in an emergency and must be taken inside 72 hours of exposure. PEP is usually taken for a period of 28 days.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP (available under the brand names Truvada® and Descovy®), is a medication that you can have if y'all're at high risk of contracting HIV. These drugs can protect y'all from acquiring an infection with the virus. You can take PrEP daily or "on demand," in which you have the medication right earlier you could potentially be exposed to the virus.
HIV Prognosis
HIV is a chronic condition that currently has no cure, but people with the virus have plenty of effective options for managing the condition and living comfortably. Without treatment, nearly every HIV patient volition go on to develop AIDS. All the same, when doctors detect HIV early and begin providing prompt handling, the prognosis for people with HIV is very skillful. Nowadays, someone who's diagnosed early with a loftier CD4 count has the aforementioned life expectancy as someone without HIV. Nonetheless, people with HIV do appear to develop some other conditions at before ages than those without HIV — including cardiovascular disease, kidney illness, lung disease, diabetes and cancer — which may equate to differences in quality of life.
If someone doesn't get handling early, the virus will progress and weaken their allowed organization, which may cause more complications later in life. However, treatment can withal be effective, no matter when the virus is diagnosed.
There's a very small-scale grouping of people who, despite having HIV in their bodies, never develop AIDS. These patients are chosen "long-term nonprogressors," and it's not clear what makes them resistant to the effects of HIV.
The best manner to prevent the spread of HIV is to do safe sex, as this is how most cases are transmitted. Consistent and correct condom use tin preclude the spread of the virus. Sharing needles when misusing injectable drugs is another common form of transmission, and information technology's important to never share another person'southward needles or injecting equipment. If y'all're looking for help in overcoming drug addiction, contact the Substance Corruption and Mental Wellness Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for free and confidential counseling.
HIV tin be transmitted from a pregnant parent to their unborn child, so it's important if y'all have HIV and go pregnant to inform your obstetrician immediately. They tin assistance you accept steps to reduce the risk of spreading the illness to your unborn babe. Consider the apply of PrEP to preclude infection acquisition if you're unable to avert potential contact with HIV.
Resource Links:
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/default.html
https://www.fpa.org.united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland/sites/default/files/hiv-information-and-communication.pdf
https://www.aidsmap.com/news/mar-2020/yes-same-life-expectancy-hiv-negative-people-far-fewer-years-good-wellness
https://www.nhs.uk/weather condition/hiv-and-aids/
https://medlineplus.gov/hivaids.html
https://bestpractice.bmj.com/patient-leaflets/en-gb/pdf/3000138/HIV%3A%20what%20is%20it%3F.pdf
https://www.tht.org.uk/hiv-and-sexual-wellness
https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics
Source: https://www.symptomfind.com/health-conditions/hiv-condition?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740013%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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