Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, is a life-threatening disease that is caused by HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The disease affects the body's ability to fight off disease by attacking particular white blood cells that serve as immune defense system. The presence of HIV in an individual does not mean that he or she has Acquired Immunodeficiency Virus, but is very likely to develop in time.
Discovery
According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and control, AIDS was first recognized by the medical community in 1981. At that time, scientists were able to identify the source of the virus, a particular species of chimp from Eastern Africa. They believe that humans first came into contact with the disease through consuming meat from these chimpanzees.
Diagnosis
Simple blood tests can be done to test for the presence of antibodies to the HIV virus. The Centers for Disease Control does note, however, that it can take anywhere from a few weeks to months for an individual to develop antibodies after exposure. For this reason, they recommend a repeat test after three months for those who are concerned that they may have been exposed.
Modes of Transmission
The HIV virus is spread only through direct blood-to-blood contact with an infected individual. It is not a highly contagious virus, and cannot live outside of the body. Avoiding all contact with infected blood is the only 100 percent effective means of prevention. The most common modes of transmission of the virus include unprotected sex, shared needles among drug users and transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy.
Prognosis
The prognosis for individuals with HIV/AIDS has improved significantly in the past several years due to the development of new therapies. The UCSF Center for HIV and AIDS information states that it is often impossible to know whether a person has died as a direct result of HIV, or of another cause. Without treatment, the vast majority of infected individuals will die of AIDS. With appropriate treatment, however, the prognosis varies greatly. Many individuals live normal, full lives for 10 or more years after exposure, and only then develop full-blown AIDS, at which time their health begins to decline. In others, the disease progresses more rapidly. Throughout much of the world, the prognosis for those with AIDS is significantly grimmer than of those in the United States, as medications are often too expensive or not available to those patients.
Treatment
Treatment for HIV is more effective the earlier it is started, and consists of a regimen of anti-retroviral medications. There is no cure for HIV or AIDS, but the progression and severity of the disease can often be effectively controlled with ongoing treatment. There are several different classes of anti-retrovirals, often given in specific combinations, that combat HIV by stopping the virus from replicating.
Prevelance
The National Institutes of Health estimates that more than 20 percent of individuals who are infected with the HIV virus are not aware of their infection. As of 2010, more than 25 million people around the world have died of AIDS-related illnesses, per Avert.org, an AIDS advocacy and educational group. As of June 2010, there were 33.4 million people in the world living with HIV or AIDS.
Complications
Because the HIV virus weakens the body's natural ability to fight disease, it leaves the host of the virus open to a wide variety of dangerous infections and diseases. In underdeveloped countries, the co-occurrence of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis is a common, and often deadly, problem. Patients with AIDS are susceptible to pneumonia, toxoplasmosis and other viral and bacterial infections. Individuals in the later stages of AIDS may also develop related cancers, such as Kaposi's Sarcoma, according to the Mayo Clinic.
