AIDS is caused by the HIV virus, where AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and HIV for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is not in itself a disease, but it makes the body extremely vulnerable to other diseases. It attacks those very cells of the body that fight against the infections. CD4+T cells (a type of white blood cell or leukocyte) are the primary fighters of immune system. Once these cells are infected by the HIV virus, the immune system becomes incapable of fighting against the microorganisms.
Early Symptoms of Infection
Not all but some of HIV-infected people develop the symptoms as early as one or two months after the infection. Such people have the following symptoms along with flu-like illness:
• Headache
• Rash
• Loss of Appetite
• Lymph Nodes swelling
• Muscle and joint aches
Usually, these early symptoms disappear in a week or a month. Most of the people, who developed early symptoms, may not show any signs of the HIV infection for the next year or so.
Later Symptoms
Later HIV symptoms appear after eight to 10 years of first infection from HIV, which varies among different people. Some of the common later symptoms include:
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Frequent fevers
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Chronic diarrhea
• Genital sores
• Infection of mouth by a fungus candida, called thrush
• Joint and bone aches
• Blurring of vision
• Memory-loss
• Frequent occurrence of viral, bacterial and fungal infections
• Skin rashes
Symptoms Indicating the Onset of AIDS
A person infected with HIV is declared to be an AIDS patient, once the following symptoms appear together or singly in the patient.
• Cell count of CD4+ T cells found to be less than 200
• Occurrence of one of the opportunistic infections or conditions in the patient, whose number is more than two dozen
Spread
Unsafe sexual intercourse is the primary source of HIV infection. During sexual intercourse, HIV can infect the body through penis, lining of the vagina, mouth saliva or rectum. Mouth saliva is only infectious, if mixed with blood from a cut in the mouth. It can also spread by the blood transfusion, where blood is infected with HIV virus. Taking drugs with syringes can also spread the virus, provided the syringe needle has traces of infected blood on it. An infected mother can also transfer the HIV to her unborn child. This can be avoided by taking AZT or Zidovudine drugs, though it is not successful all the time.
Difference between AIDS and HIV
AIDS is the advanced stage of the HIV infection. When the immune system undergoes severe damages to the extent when it is impossible to restore it the HIV infection is told to be converted into AIDS, which is incurable. A person infected with HIV can prohibit the development of AIDS if the medication and other prescriptions of the doctor are strictly followed. Fifty percent of people infected with HIV develop its most severe form within ten years of its first attack.
