AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is the disease associated with HIV, human immunodeficiency virus. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, over 25 million people worldwide have died of AIDS. The disease has no cure, although modern treatment options may extend the life of an AIDS patient and delay the development of an HIV infection into AIDS for many years.
Virus
The virus that causes AIDS, HIV, is a human retrovirus that attacks the immune system, destroying CD4 immune cells. Retroviruses integrate themselves into the DNA of the host, making them difficult to eradicate. When HIV has destroyed a significant portion of the immune cells in the body, then a person has developed AIDS. Because human immunodeficiency virus affects the immune system, people who catch HIV and develop AIDS become vulnerable to other infections and diseases.
Symptoms
When an HIV infection begins, there are typically few or no symptoms. Those who do exhibit symptoms often have a short flu-like illness before the disease goes dormant, sometimes for 10 years or more. As the disease progresses into full-blown AIDS, which is defined as having a CD4 count under 200 cells per microliter, the individual shows symptoms of developing opportunistic infections and cancers, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. As the CD4 count drops lower and lower with the progression of AIDS, more and more secondary diseases occur in the infected individual.
Treatment
Physicians typically put individuals with HIV put on a drug regimen to help them delay developing AIDS. This treatment plan involves a combination of antiretroviral drugs called highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART. HAART helps by preventing HIV from replicating, slowing the progression of AIDS. Sometimes, HIV becomes resistant to HAART, especially in individuals who don't take their medication as directed. When that happens, the patient's doctor will adjust the drug regimen and try new combinations of medications.
Prevention
HIV spreads through bodily fluids, so avoiding the virus remains key to preventing AIDS. Abstinence and practicing safe sex, using condoms or other barrier methods of protection, is the primary method of preventing or reducing the chances of infection with the virus that causes AIDS. Since the disease can also pass through the blood, avoiding the use of drugs that involve shared needles or any contact with the blood of other people can also help prevent HIV infection. Blood donations in the U.S. are screened for HIV, so the chances of catching AIDS from a transfusion remain low. Pregnant women with HIV or AIDS should be placed on antiviral medication to help lower the risk of passing HIV to their babies and after birth, infected women should not breastfeed since the virus can pass through human milk. Infection does not pass through casual contact, so there is no need to avoid touching, hugging or otherwise being around someone infected with HIV or who has AIDS.
Complications
Most of the complications of AIDS stem from opportunistic infections or diseases taking advantage of the weakened immune system. These can include cancers, especially lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma, yeast infection, herpes, pneumonia, toxoplasmosis, salmonella and tuberculosis, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Many people with AIDS also experience chronic weight loss and neurological conditions such as dementia.
