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What Does "AIDS" Mean? |
AIDS stands for
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome:
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Acquired means you can get infected with
it.
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Immune Deficiency means a weakness in the
body's system that fights diseases.
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Syndrome means a group of health problems
that make up a disease.
AIDS is caused by
a virus called HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency
Virus. If you get infected with HIV, your body will
try to fight the infection. It will make
"antibodies," special molecules that are supposed to
fight HIV.
When you get a
blood test for HIV, the test looks for these
antibodies. If you have them in your blood, it means
that you have HIV infection. People who have the HIV
antibodies are called "HIV-Positive."
Being
HIV-positive, or having HIV disease, is not the same
as having AIDS. Many people are HIV-positive but
don't get sick for many years. As HIV disease
continues, it slowly wears down the immune system.
Viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria that usually
don't cause any problems can make you very sick if
your immune system is damaged. These are called
"opportunistic infections."
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How do you get AIDS? |
You don't actually "get" AIDS. You might get
infected with HIV, and later you might develop
AIDS.
You can get
infected with HIV from anyone who's infected,
even if they don't look sick, and even if they
haven't tested HIV-positive yet. The blood,
vaginal fluid, semen, and breast milk of people
infected with HIV has enough of the virus in it
to infect other people. Most people get the HIV
virus by:
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Having sex with an infected person.
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Sharing a needle (shooting drugs) with
someone who's infected.
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Being born when their mother is infected, or
drinking the breast milk of an infected
woman.
Getting a
transfusion of infected blood used to be a way
people got AIDS, but now the blood supply is
screened very carefully and the risk is
extremely low.
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There are no documented cases of HIV being
transmitted by tears or saliva, but it is
possible to be infected with HIV through
oral sex or in rare cases through deep
kissing, especially if you have open sores
in your mouth or bleeding gums.
In the United
States, there are about 800,000 to 900,000
people who are HIV-positive. Over 300,000 people
are living with AIDS. Each year, there are about
40,000 new infections. In the mid-1990s, AIDS
was a leading cause of death. However, newer
treatments have cut the AIDS death rate
significantly.
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What happens is I'm HIV
Positive? |
You might
not know if you get infected by HIV. Some
people get fever, headache, sore muscles and
joints, stomach ache, swollen lymph glands,
or a skin rash for one or two weeks. Most
people think it's the flu. Some people have
no symptoms.
The virus
will multiply in your body for a few weeks
or even months before your immune system
responds. During this time, you won't test
positive for HIV, but you can infect other
people.
When your
immune system responds, it starts to make
antibodies. When this happens, you will test
positive for HIV.
After the
first flu-like symptoms, some people with
HIV stay healthy for ten years or longer.
But during this time, HIV is damaging your
immune system.
One way
to measure the damage to your immune system
is to count your CD4+ cells. These cells,
also called "T-helper" cells, are an
important part of the immune system. Healthy
people have between 500 and 1,500 CD4+ cells
in a milliliter of blood.
Without
treatment, your CD4+ cell count will most
likely go down. You might start having signs
of HIV disease like fevers, night sweats,
diarrhea, or swollen lymph nodes. If you
have HIV disease, these problems will last
more than a few days, and probably continue
for several weeks.
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How do I know if I
have AIDS |
HIV disease
becomes AIDS when your immune system is
seriously damaged. If you have less than 200
CD4+ cells or if your CD4+ percentage is less
than 14%, you have AIDS. If you get an
opportunistic infection, you have AIDS. There is
an "official" list of opportunistic infections,
put out by the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC). The most common ones are:
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PCP (Pneumocystis pneumonia), a lung
infection
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KS (Kaposi's sarcoma), a skin cancer
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CMV (Cytomegalovirus), an infection that
usually affects the eyes
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Candida, a fungal infection that can cause
thrush (a white film in your mouth) or
infections in your throat or vagina
AIDS-related
diseases also include serious weight loss, brain
tumors, and other health problems. Without
treatment, these opportunistic infections can
kill you. The official CDC definition of AIDS is
available at
CDC.GOV
AIDS is
different in every infected person. Some people
die soon after getting infected, while others
live fairly normal lives for many years, even
after they "officially" have AIDS. A few
HIV-positive people stay healthy for many years
even without taking anti-HIV medications.
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Is there a Cure for AIDS? |
There is no
cure for AIDS. There are drugs that can slow
down the HIV virus, and slow down the damage to
your immune system. But there is no way to get
all the HIV out of your body.
There are
other drugs that you can take to prevent or to
treat opportunistic infections (OIs). In most
cases, these drugs work very well. The newer,
stronger anti-HIV drugs have also helped reduce
the rates of most OIs. A few OIs, however, are
still very difficult to treat.
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