HIV AIDS – Meaning, Symptoms and Precautions for this Global Life – Threatening Disease
June 1, 2010 by admin
Filed under General Articles
Today a majority of the population is aware about the terms AIDS and HIV. These terms are considered to denote perhaps the most deadly disease that has seen a cure yet. AIDS stands for Acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This is a very serious complication that weakens the immune system thereby making the body unable to fight off the diseases. The viruses responsible for causing this particular disease are known as Human Immunodeficiency viruses. These affect in the form of numerous severe and unusual illnesses, cancers and infections along with the diseases affecting the central nervous system and the brain. More precisely, AIDS is the last stage of the disease being progressed by the HIV infections.
For real, there’s still no accurate vaccine available for the complication. Due to this many affected with this disease have lost and are still loosing away their lives. But continuous researches and studies about the HIV viruses have revealed some of the ways in which the affect of these viruses can be slowed down or suppressed. The restoration process of the immune system follows the suppression of the HIV affects. The immune system can be restored and made to function much normally to help a HIV infected person to live a much longer and normal life.
When a person gets infected with HIV the immediate symptoms may include several non-specific viral illnesses. These illnesses may further include low fevers, muscles aches, headaches, rashes and fatigue. These common complications heal within a period of 5-10 days like other viral complications. These HIV infected individuals remain asymptomatic for several years or even for decades. During this period when no other symptoms occur, the HIV tends to gradually destroy their immune system until it reaches its final stage where it is recognized as AIDS. The major symptoms of the AIDS include extreme fatigue, short breathing along with dry cough, rapid weight losses, tender or swollen glands, high fevers, persistence diarrhea, frequent changes in illness patterns, emergence of purple spots on the skin, inside mouths, nasal passages and anus, whitish coating over throat, tongue and vagina and signs of mental deterioration. On a more specific note, it takes as short as one or as log as 10-15 years for developing from HIV infections to AIDS.
Generally, the HIV infections can be passed over to another person in three ways –
- The commonest transmission mode is the passing over of body secretions through sexual contacts. This specifically denotes to the exposure of mucous membranes of vagina, mouth or rectum to vaginal secretions, semen or blood.
- Using contaminated needles and syringes can also transmit the viruses when contacted to a non-infected person.
- During pregnancy a mother a can transmit the HIV viruses to the fetus.
Earlier the HIV infections were only screened through the blood tests. Now a day a method called Orasure is also available for the screening process. In this process the secretions between the cheeks and gums are collected for verifying the presence of HIV. Most people particularly prefer this as it doesn’t includes any use of needles or syringes. Orasure is now available in almost every private and government clinics and hospitals. Additionally, there are also urine-screening tests that verify the HIV infections. However, if this test comes positive then it has to be further verified through blood tests.
For reducing or slowing the HIV affects anti – HIV medications used. On being used in combinations these medications are generally termed as Highly Antiretroviral Therapy or HAART. In HAART 2-3 anti-HIV medications are used in combinations that are generally termed as ‘cocktails’. It is to be remembered that these medications do not cure the HIV infections but only slow or eliminate the progressions of the HIV affects and there are still chances of individuals taking these medications of transmitting the viruses to others.
The prevention measures for eliminating the chances of being affected through the HIV includes the following –
- Avoid having sexual relationships with individuals having symptoms of AIDS or those among the high-risk groups.
- Avoid sexual relationships with those who have had sex with people having symptoms of AIDS.
- Totally avoid having sex with prostitutes.
- Avoid having sex with those having anonymous or multiple sexual partners.
- Use condoms for having safer sex with susceptible individuals. Using spermicidal agents would also provide the additional protections. Avoid genital, oral or anal with your partner’s blood, semen, urine, feces and vaginal secretions until you are sure that your partner is fully clear of AIDS symptoms.
- Completely avoid anal intercourses.
- Do not share razors, toothbrushes or other materials that tend to be contaminated through other individual’s blood or other infecting agents.
- Stay aware of using only new needles or syringes while tattooing or taking injections as an infected one can easily infect you.
- Consider donating blood if you plan to undergo a surgery in near future for avoiding the use of another individual’s blood for added security.
Remember that there is no absolute cure for the HIV AIDS and a person suffering from this complex disease can only ensure prolonged life through certain medications that reduce the destroying of immune systems. These HIV positive individuals need love and support for long fighting the disease and undergoing the right treatment. They do spread the disease by touching or sharing materials such pencils and cups. Don’t ignore them, as this would make them loose their mental strength and disable them for fighting off the disease. This major complication can be fought and its affects can be minimized to the fullest for making a person living a longer and normal life much like others.
Related posts:
