Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, causes the chronic condition known as AIDS; developing in the late stages of HIV infection. According to the World Health Organization, in 2008 worldwide incidence of HIV was 33.4 million people infected. In the same year, about 2.7 million new infections of HIV were recorded. HIV begins damaging the body's immune system immediately after infection, according to the MayoClinic.com, disrupting the body's ability to fight off disease. Symptoms may be present in the first stage of infection.
Causes
Spread of the virus occurs through the transmission of body fluids, including blood, semen and vaginal secretions. An individual risks infection of HIV, according to Medline Plus, through sexual contact with an infected individual, contaminated blood transfusion and blood products, sharing of infected needles and syringes, transmission through the placenta from the pregnant mother to baby, and in rare cases, breastfeeding. The MayoClinic.com indicates that individuals with sexually transmitted diseases carry a higher risk of infection. Most-at-risk populations, according to the World Health Organization, include sex workers and their clients, drug users and men who have sex with men and prisoners.
Initial Infection
Immediately after infection, indicates MayoClinic.com, even if no symptoms emerge, HIV begins destroying the body's helper T cells, or white blood cells. HIV uses these cells to replicate itself, creating billions of new HIV particles every day. The MayoClinic.com warns that the absence of symptoms does not mean an individual is not infectious. Due to high concentrations of HIV in the body at the initial stage of infection, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases indicates that the infected individual is highly infectious.
Symptoms
After initial infection with the disease, no signs or symptoms of illness may emerge for 10 years, according to MedlinePlus. If symptoms do occur, MedlinePlus indicates that it may appear similar to the flu or some other viral illness. Approximately one to four weeks after infection, an individual may experience a decreased appetite, fatigue, fever, headache, body aches, rash, sore throat, persistent swollen lymph glands and ulcers in the mouth and esophagus. MedlinePlus states that these symptoms may "last from a few days to weeks, and then subside."
Testing and Diagnosis
Individuals concerned about exposure to HIV should immediately seek assistance from a medical professional. Medline Plus indicates that testing for HIV infection involves testing the blood for the presence of HIV antibodies, taking a white blood cell count or complete blood count. Measurements for HIV genetic material called RNA can also detect infection. Tests for HIV infection may not be accurate immediately after infection, warns the MayoClinic.com, as the body has not manufactured enough antibodies to detect. This source indicates that infection is detectable after about 12 weeks; however, in rare cases HIV tests may not yield a positive result for up to six months.
Treatment
After diagnosis, a doctor may recommend immediate treatment of the HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy. The World Health Organization states that this treatment involves three antiretroviral drugs that work to suppress the virus and disrupt the progression of disease. Significant reductions in the rates of death and suffering have been realized as a result of antiretroviral therapy, according to the World Health Organization.
