AIDS, an acronym for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is the final stage of the human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV. Although antiretroviral therapy can treat some of the AIDS symptoms and prolong your life, as of 2010, there is no cure for this disease. Talk to your doctor if you suspect you have HIV or the AIDS virus.
Causes
HIV causes the AIDS virus by reducing your body's ability to fight off diseases. KidsHealth explains that the human immunodeficiency virus infects and damages the lymphocytes, a kind of white blood cell that fights off viruses, fungi, parasites and bacteria that cause life-threatening illnesses. A patient is diagnosed with AIDS once her immune system is so weak that it can no longer fight off infections. The Avert website reports that it can take many years for HIV to reach the AIDS virus phase.
Symptoms
Most AIDS symptoms come in the form of opportunistic infections or cancers. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of these infections often include soaking night sweats, high fevers, shaking chills and chronic diarrhea. Other signs of the AIDS virus include extreme weight loss, distorted or blurry vision, headaches and persistent mouth or tongue lesions. Some AIDS patients continue to suffer with HIV symptoms, such as swollen lymph nodes and inexplicable fatigue.
Complications
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), some of the more common opportunistic infections associated with the AIDS virus include tuberculosis (TB), bacterial pneumonia, the herpes simplex virus (HSV) and herpes zoster, or shingles. Medline Plus adds that AIDS patients often suffer from cancer, particularly non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a lymph nodes cancer, and Kaposi's sarcoma, a bowel, skin and lung cancer.
Treatment
The Mayo Clinic reports that although the AIDS virus currently has no cure, a chemical cocktail called highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can prevent HIV particles from replicating in your bloodstream. Medline Plus adds that medications can treat many of the opportunistic infections, such as the herpes viruses and pneumonia. Some patients find it helpful to take substances that stimulate cell growth to keep their white blood cell counts up.
Considerations
The human immunodeficiency virus is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids or blood of an infected person. Although people of any sexual orientation, race or age can become infected with HIV, you tend to be at a greater risk if you participate in unprotected sexual intercourse or share needles used to inject drugs. Infants sometimes contract HIV from infected mothers.
Misconceptions
Medline Plus explains that the virus cannot be spread through mosquitoes, toilet seats, doorknobs or drinking glasses. You cannot catch AIDS by kissing, hugging, shaking hands or dancing with infected people. AIDS is only very rarely transmitted through non-sterilized surgical equipment, blood transfusions or organ transplants.
