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Testing positive for HIV is a life-changing event that typically evokes powerful feelings, such as intense fear, anger, sadness, helplessness and despair. After the initial shock wears off, you need to set about the business of learning to live with HIV. Although it may feel overwhelming at first, you can do this and your life will go on. With good medical care and self-care, most Americans with HIV live long and productive lives.
WHAT IT MEANS
A positive HIV test means that you are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Although HIV is the virus that causes AIDS, testing positive for HIV does not necessarily mean that you have AIDS. AIDS occurs when an HIV infection progresses to the point that your immune system cannot fight infections caused by common germs. The occurrence of these infections, known as opportunistic infections, or evidence of severe immune system damage constitutes the dividing line between HIV infection and AIDS. With proper treatment, the progression from HIV infection to AIDS can often be delayed for an extended period.
SEXUAL CONTACTS
One of the first things you need to do after testing positive for HIV is to contact your current and past sexual partners. Although making these contacts is difficult, your sexual partners need to be tested for HIV.
HIV AND YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
HIV infects cells in your immune system, which is your body's primary defense system. Immune system cells fight off infection and other diseases. If your immune system does not work well, you are at increased risk for serious and life-threatening infections and cancers. HIV attacks and destroys specific disease-fighting cells called CD4 cells, which are a type of white blood cell. Other names for CD4 cells include CD4+ T cells and CD4 T lymphocytes. Your CD4 count reflects the number of CD4 cells in your bloodstream. When HIV infects CD4 cells, it uses their biological machinery to make copies of itself. This process, called replication, destroys the CD4 cells and the CD4 count falls. As you lose CD4 cells, your immune system becomes progressively weaker. A weakened immune system makes it harder for your body to fight infections and cancer.
DO I HAVE AIDS?
AIDS is not a diagnosis you can make yourself. If you are infected with HIV and your CD4 count drops below 200 or you develop an AIDS-defining condition -- an illness that is very unusual in someone who is not infected with HIV -- you have AIDS. A partial list of AIDS-defining conditions includes, candidiasis, invasive cervical cancer, histoplasmosis, Kaposi's sarcoma, coccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis, cryptosporidiosis, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, toxoplasmosis of the brain and HIV-related wasting syndrome. People who are not infected with HIV but have a weakened immune system can also develop these conditions; this does not mean they have AIDS. To be diagnosed with AIDS, a person must be infected with HIV.
HIV TREATMENT
HIV treatment is the use of medications to keep an HIV infected person healthy. Treatment can usually help people with any stage of HIV disease. Antiviral treatment is used to suppress HIV activity with three or more medications; the goal is to preserve your CD4 cells. Although anti-HIV medications slow the progression of HIV disease, they cannot cure it. HIV treatment is complicated and must be tailored to your individual needs. See a doctor that specializes in the treatment of HIV to determine what treatment plan is best for you.
