How can I find out if I have HIV? HIV and AIDS: symptoms and stages of development of a terrible disease. What happened to you

Which is one of the most dangerous in the world. Its insidiousness is expressed in the fact that for a long time it may not manifest itself in any way, and its presence in the body can only be determined using a special test. Over time, the infection leads to the development of AIDS, which already manifests itself with certain signs. According to statistics, the percentage of mortality from this terrible disease extremely high: about 40–65% die in the first year, 80% die in two years, and almost 100% die in three years. Scientists and specialists distinguish four stages in the course of HIV infection:

incubation period;
first signs;
secondary diseases;
AIDS.

In our article we will tell you about the period of time after which the first symptoms appear and what the first signs of AIDS occur in women and men.

After what period of time do the first symptoms of HIV and AIDS begin to appear?

The first symptoms of HIV infection are nonspecific and resemble ARVI: increased body temperature, general weakness, muscle pain, enlarged cervical lymph nodes.

From the moment of HIV infection to the development of AIDS itself, quite a long time can pass, and this period is very different. Scientists still cannot explain why one person develops the disease a year after infection, while another does not develop symptoms for 20 years or more. On average, AIDS appears within 10–12 years. We recommend reading our.

When infected HIV person does not find out about it in the first days after infection. Its early signs can become apparent after 2–6 weeks. In most cases they are expressed as ARVI or. In the stage of primary manifestations of AIDS, some patients experience:

temperature increase;
chills;
muscle pain;
enlarged cervical lymph nodes.

Some people who become infected do not have these symptoms, and this course of HIV infection is called the asymptomatic stage of the disease. Scientists cannot yet explain the reason for this development of the disease.

Sometimes in patients with HIV, lymph nodes enlarge occasionally but continuously for a long period of time. After this, they decrease, and the disease is asymptomatic. This form of HIV is called persistent generalized lymphadenopathy.

In the first few weeks after the onset of the disease, a blood test for HIV may give negative results - this period is called the “window period”. The virus can only be detected at this stage by more modern techniques diagnostics - PCR and HIV test.

After the stage of primary manifestations, there comes a period during which HIV symptoms are completely absent. It can last for many years and is accompanied by the development of immunodeficiency.

Lack of antiviral treatment initial stage this terrible disease leads to its faster development. That is why it is extremely important to detect AIDS at the earliest stages when the first signs of HIV infection occur.

The first signs of HIV in women

The very first sign of HIV in women, which appears several weeks after infection, is an absolutely causeless increase in temperature to 38–40 °C. The period of hyperthermia can last from 2 to 10 days. It is accompanied by catarrhal symptoms characteristic of ARVI or influenza: cough and sore throat.

The patient experiences symptoms of general intoxication:

general weakness;
headache;
muscle pain;
sweating (especially at night).

In many women, superficial lymph nodes enlarge in the occipital region, then in the back of the neck, in the groin and in the armpits. This sign may be generalized.

In some cases, women may experience severe nausea and vomiting, anorexia and severe cramping pain. With significant damage to the respiratory system, the cough can be intense and end in attacks of suffocation.

When HIV infection affects the nervous system, the following symptoms sometimes appear:

severe headaches;
significant weakness;
vomit;
stiff neck.

Many women are prone to illness during this period. genitourinary system. They have:

a sharp increase in inguinal lymph nodes;
abundant and frequent mucous discharge from the genital tract;

All of the above symptoms are nonspecific and may not always indicate HIV infection, but their prolonged manifestation should alert the woman and become a reason for undergoing examination at an AIDS center.

The first signs of HIV in men

About a week after HIV infection, a petechial (pinpoint), macular, or papular (raised above healthy skin) rash appears on a man’s body.

The first signs of HIV in men are in many ways similar to the first symptoms of this disease in women, but they also have some differences.

5–10 days after infection, a man develops discolored patches of skin all over his body. The rash can be petechial, urticarial or papular in nature. It is simply impossible to hide such a sign.

A few weeks after infection, their temperature rises to high levels, flu or ARVI symptoms are obvious, a severe headache appears and the lymph nodes in the neck, groin and armpits become enlarged. The patient feels completely overwhelmed, constant drowsiness and apathy.

Often, after infection in the initial stages, the patient may experience diarrhea. It may also be detected. The frequent and unexplained occurrence of such symptoms should be a reason to conduct an HIV test in a specialized center.

The first signs of AIDS in men and women

After the stage of primary manifestations of HIV, which can last about three weeks, the patient often experiences prolonged low-grade fever. Some infected people may remain unaware of the disease for many years. Then they develop immunodeficiency, which leads to a long course of any disease.

The first signs of AIDS are the same for both men and women. Only the symptoms of diseases of the reproductive system can be different. The first sign of its onset may be long-term non-healing cuts and wounds. In such patients, even a slight scratch can bleed and fester for a long time.

pulmonary – the patient develops Pneumocystis pneumonia, which is characterized by a long and severe course;
intestinal - first the patient develops diarrhea, signs of dehydration, rapid and significant weight loss;
with damage to the skin, mucous membranes and tissues of the body - the patient develops ulcers and erosions on the mucous membranes or skin, which progress, become infected and grow into muscle tissue;
with damage to the nervous system - the patient’s memory deteriorates, constant apathy appears, brain atrophy develops and epileptic seizures, the condition may become more complicated malignant tumors brain, or encephalitis.

AIDS lasts about six months or two years and ends in death (few patients live for three years).

Rapid detection of AIDS is complicated by the fact that the first signs of HIV infection are nonspecific and can be attributed to many other ailments. Frequent and unfounded appearance of temperature and enlarged lymph nodes should necessarily alert the patient and his doctor. In such cases, the only correct solution may be to conduct an HIV test in a specialized center. Necessity timely diagnosis there is no doubt about this fatal disease, since early initiation of antiviral therapy can delay the transition of HIV to AIDS, and therefore prolong the life of an infected person.

She can no longer resist various infections and bacteria.

Methods of transmission of AIDS

This virus can only be transmitted through blood. For example, during unprotected sexual intercourse, during childbirth from an infected mother to a child, during blood transfusions (if the blood was infected). This only happens in rare cases. If a person needed blood immediately and it was transfused directly from the donor to the patient.

This dangerous virus is never transmitted through:

Houseware,
Handshake,
Visiting common areas
When coughing,
Insect and animal bites.

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This is the most severe stage of the disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. Many people think that HIV and AIDS are the same disease. Only this is not entirely true. HIV can exist in the body for a long time without showing any symptoms. The person will feel good and look fairly healthy. It can take many years before HIV progresses to the AIDS stage. To prevent this from happening, you need to carefully monitor your health. If you have been diagnosed with HIV, treatment should begin immediately.

Is it possible to cure the disease?

Everyone should know that this virus is not completely cured. You can only stop the course of the disease, which will allow a person to exist normally and live for many more years if you carefully approach his treatment. No one is immune from HIV. Any disease, even something as simple as the flu, can turn into HIV if there is improper treatment or no treatment at all.

HIV infection affects the immune system, making it vulnerable to various types of viruses and infections.

To combat the disease, you need to visit a doctor and find out at what stage the disease is in order to begin treatment.

A person can understand that he has AIDS only in the most extreme cases. Because the virus usually behaves asymptomatically. Only in the acute stage of the disease can you understand that you are infected with AIDS.

First but minor signs of illness

The very first signs of the disease are vague and it is very difficult to understand the disease. A person experiences redness on the skin in the form of small spots, suffers from diarrhea, a taste of iron appears in the mouth, lymph nodes become enlarged, body temperature rises to 38 degrees and lasts for about several weeks.

People usually don’t pay attention to these symptoms, because they can easily be confused with the flu or a common cold. They go by very quickly. And this can only mean that the infection is spreading further. If it is HIV infection.

The human immunodeficiency virus can exist in the body asymptomatically even for up to 12 years. This is the time during which HIV degenerates into the AIDS stage if treatment has not been prescribed.

If signs appear in the form of inflammation of the lymph nodes, then they occur throughout the body:

In the groin
Under the arm,
On the neck.

It’s difficult not to notice them, but some still don’t notice or don’t want to notice.

The main symptoms of AIDS are fairly common diseases: tuberculosis, pneumonia, herpes, cytomegalovirus infection and many others. These diseases lead to very serious consequences, including death. This stage of the disease is called AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

In severe cases of the disease, the patient cannot even take care of himself. His family does this at home.

Despite the fact that a cure for HIV has not yet been invented, a person can delay the development of AIDS for a long time if he learns about his illness in time and fully follows all the doctor’s recommendations.

How to recognize HIV at home?

The human immunodeficiency virus is a very insidious disease. Once in the human body, it manifests itself slowly.

The disease can occur in several stages, each differing in clinical picture and intensity of manifestations. The hard shell of the pathogen - supercapsid - is sparingly soluble in human biological fluid. The virus infects cells, slowly destroying them.

Immediately after infection, symptoms are completely absent; this is the insidiousness of the virus. Therefore, it is very important to know how to test for HIV at home.

A person may not be aware of the presence of HIV infection in his body for a long time. It develops at the cellular level and slowly destroys the immune system.

In many cases, HIV is diagnosed after a person's immune system has been destroyed and symptoms become apparent. The disease moves into the most dangerous stage - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Causes of infection

HIV infection is caused by a small RNA virus. You can become infected from a sick person in several ways:

Sexual - during sexual intercourse without using a condom, since the pathogen is contained in the vaginal environment and sperm.
Through blood - these are injections and invasive procedures, during which the integrity of tissues is damaged. It can occur during a fight, when the blood of an infected person gets into the abrasions and cuts of a healthy person.
From mother to child during pregnancy and childbirth. The infection can cross the placenta into the fetal bloodstream.

The virus lives and multiplies in cells that are designed to protect against infections - T-lymphocytes. The genetic information of the virus is integrated into the cells of the immune system, which begin to produce new viral particles.

As a result, it turns out that the protective cells become an incubator for a terrible infection. Experts have not yet found ways to extract the virus from T-lymphocytes without destroying them.

Therefore, many are concerned about the question of how to recognize HIV at home. In addition, the virus tends to change its shape.

Secrets of health. HIV infection. Routes of transmission and preventive measures

Stages and symptoms of HIV

HIV infection is characterized by a cyclical course. It has certain stages in its development:

incubation period;
primary manifestations are asymptomatic acute infection;
secondary manifestations - defeat internal organs persistent nature, damage to the skin and mucous membranes, generalized diseases;
terminal stage.

According to statistics, the disease is most often diagnosed at the stage of secondary manifestations. This is due to the fact that it is then that the symptoms of HIV begin to bother a person and become pronounced.

Sometimes at the first stage certain symptoms may also be present, but they are easily confused with other pathologies and occur in a mild form.

In this case, a person rarely seeks medical help. But even specialists cannot always make the correct diagnosis at an early stage of infection.

During this period, the symptoms will be the same in both men and women. This often confuses doctors.

Only the secondary stage will show the presence of the virus with high accuracy, and the symptoms will be individual for males and females. Knowing them, you can understand that you have HIV without testing.

The first signs of HIV may be:

temperature increase up to 10 degrees;
rash all over the body;
enlargement of all lymph nodes;
loose stool.

These are the main symptoms of how HIV manifests itself. In some cases, already at this stage the immune system is significantly weakened. Early signs HIV can be combined with various infections, including:

prolonged pneumonia;
fungal infection of the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract;
tuberculosis;
seborrheic dermatitis.

Approximately 50-70% of patients develop an acute febrile stage 3-6 weeks after infection. For the rest, after the incubation period, the infection immediately passes into the asymptomatic stage.

Symptoms of the acute febrile stage:

drowsiness and malaise;
headache;
pain in muscles and joints;
increased temperature and fever;
diarrhea;
sore throat;
loss of appetite and weight;
eye pain;
the appearance of painful swelling in the armpits, groin, and neck;
nausea and vomiting;
the appearance of ulcers and rashes on the mucous membranes and skin;
Possible brain damage - a manifestation of serous meningitis.

The duration of the febrile stage is approximately a week. Next comes the asymptomatic stage. In 10% of sick people, the disease progresses rapidly and is accompanied by complications.

The duration of each form depends on how quickly the virus multiplies.

Signs of immunodeficiency in women

The symptoms that appear in HIV-positive women are very diverse. This is often associated with diseases that occur against the background of immunodeficiency or directly with the impact of the virus on the body’s cells.

This disease develops in a woman’s body unnoticed. Such a period can last for years. In some cases, the infection in women manifests itself in a pronounced way:

The lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, and groin area become enlarged.
One of the main signs is an unreasonable increase in body temperature, which lasts from 3 to 10 days.
Headache, weakness, arthralgia, night sweats.
Signs of the immunodeficiency virus may include decreased appetite, depression, and diarrhea.

The above symptoms can be observed not only in women, but also in men. There are a number of symptoms that are unique to the fairer sex:

anorexia;
pelvic organ infections;
various vaginal infections.
a woman may be bothered by copious mucous discharge during the intermenstrual period;
enlarged lymph nodes in the groin area;
pain during menstruation.
constant headaches and irritability can also signal the presence of a virus;
various psychological changes, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, dementia.

If you experience a headache and weakness, do not immediately panic. But if the above symptoms bother you for a long time, in order to check yourself, it is better to consult a doctor and take the necessary tests.

It is important to know how HIV manifests itself, because many girls are completely unaware that their body is infected. There is an opinion that in female body The immunodeficiency virus develops much more slowly than in men.

HIV-infected people can easily be susceptible to other diseases that healthy body do not pose a danger. But if there is a virus, it becomes very difficult to cure them.

Therefore, the ability to detect HIV in yourself in the early stages is of great importance.

Signs of immunodeficiency in men

The first symptoms of HIV immediately after infection are similar to other diseases in men. On initial stage development, they are the same as in women.

5-10 days after infection, the carrier of the virus develops a rash or discolored patches of skin of various shapes throughout the body.

You also lose your appetite, feel tired, and lose weight. Sometimes at the initial stage of development in men there is an enlargement of the liver and spleen.

Men are much more likely to become infected with HIV than women. This is caused by the need to change sexual partners, neglect of basic means of protection and contraception.

Therefore, after unprotected sexual intercourse with a new partner and if the above symptoms are present, you must undergo an examination.

Symptoms of immunodeficiency in children

Infection of the baby with the virus can occur both before and after birth. It is diagnosed only by the age of 3 years of a child’s life. In the first year, the virus manifests itself very rarely.

Most HIV-infected children develop pneumonia, cough, and enlarged fingertips and toes. Many experience delays in mental and psychomotor development, speech, walking, and coordination of movement suffer.

The course of the immunodeficiency virus in children differs from its manifestation in adults. Children who became infected in the womb experience the disease much more difficult. But when successful treatment Such babies can live normally, like completely healthy children.

To recognize HIV at home, it is important to know the symptoms. External signs in case of intrauterine infection, they appear in the sixth month:

growth retardation;
box-shaped protrusion of the frontal part;
microcephaly;
mild squint;
flattening of the nose;
blue sclera and elongated eye shape;
severe shortening of the nose.

Infected children have an enlarged liver and spleen, grow poorly and gain little weight. An early manifestation of the virus is enlarged lymph nodes.

As the disease progresses, other symptoms appear:

sudden weight loss;
elevated temperature;
diarrhea;
skin damage;
possible heart failure;
nausea, vomiting, bloating;
the nervous system is affected;
children often suffer from ARVI, the illness is severe;
sinusitis, pneumonia, purulent otitis media, meningitis.

If children become infected while still in the womb, the disease is much more severe than in adults.

Incubation period

The time it takes for the virus to become active is the incubation period. The immunodeficiency virus invades class T lymphocytes. When it enters a cell, it penetrates its nucleus and changes the genetic program.

Conditions for activation of the immunodeficiency virus:

the presence of active chronic infections in the body, the pathogens of which constantly stimulate the production of antibodies;
sufficient activity of T-lymphocytes - cells that carry out immune reactions;
the presence of T-helpers, which do not participate in immune processes.

The time it takes for HIV to manifest itself after infection is from 2 weeks to 10 years or more. But a person infected with the virus is its carrier, even if the disease has not yet manifested itself.

Groups of people with short incubation periods

Some people are at risk. Only not by the possibility of infection, but by the speed of development of the clinical picture of HIV.

People who have enough immune cells and are producing them again:

In most cases, HIV can be detected in such people 1-2 weeks after infection. Congenital forms manifest themselves immediately after birth. The child experiences the prodromal period of HIV infection in the prenatal period.

Home HIV tests

The immunodeficiency virus poses a great danger to humans. No one is safe from it. It is very difficult to recognize at home that you have HIV without testing. A reliable result can only be determined if you undergo an examination.

But in modern world experts have developed tests for self-determination virus, they provide an opportunity to test yourself. Such tests are inexpensive and can be purchased at pharmacies.

There are two types of tests available for sale:

A blood test from a finger, it is taken using a small puncture.
Oral swab analysis. More convenient option, since the result can be obtained within 1-20 minutes.

But it is important to understand that positive result A home test does not mean the presence of the virus in the body. These tests are often incorrect, so you should get tested at a hospital center as soon as possible. Alternatively, this can be done anonymously.

The final diagnosis of the presence of the immunodeficiency virus is not made only by the results of one laboratory test, but is determined by a combination of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data.

Rapid test for HIV infection

Every person should know that the main risks for contracting HIV infection are unprotected sex, sharing syringes when using drugs, sexual violence and promiscuous sexual behavior. In some cases, an error or negligence of doctors leads to infection.

If at least one T-cell is affected, the further mechanism of development of the infection becomes irreversible. The production of antibodies begins - cells aimed at direct contact, which ends in complete suppression of the immune system.

After reducing the amount immune cells free from the fight against HIV, symptoms of the virus begin to appear.

HIV infection is a special virus that can be transmitted through breast milk, blood, sperm. It irreversibly affects the human immune system.

Knowing the main causes of infection, symptoms, and how to test yourself at home makes it possible to promptly seek professional diagnostics and identify the disease at an early stage of development.

Life does not end with the detection of the immunodeficiency virus in the body. A healthy lifestyle, regular examinations and taking antiviral drugs will help save life for the next decade.

There is no cure for this infection yet. Certain drugs only keep an infected person alive.

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What are the symptoms to recognize HIV/AIDS?

HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system.

In most cases, the onset of HIV infection is completely asymptomatic. The duration of the development of HIV infection in the body greatly depends on various factors, including general condition health of an HIV-positive person. Thus, many people do not develop any symptoms after becoming infected with HIV. Others experience flu-like symptoms a few days after exposure to the virus, or even a few weeks later. These are elevated temperature, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck. These symptoms usually go away on their own after a few weeks. It may take years before a person notices any changes in how they feel, but during this entire period they can infect their partner.

Loss of energy.
Weight loss.
Frequent fever and sweating.
Chronic fungal infections.
Persistent skin rash and peeling skin.
Short-term memory loss.
Herpetic rashes in the mouth, genitals or anus.

The most common symptoms of AIDS include:

Cough and shortness of breath.
Convulsions and lack of coordination.
Difficulty or painful swallowing.
Mental symptoms such as confusion and forgetfulness.
Persistent diarrhea.
Loss of vision.
Nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting.
Weight loss and extreme fatigue.
Severe headaches with stiff neck.
Coma.

Patients with AIDS often develop various oncological diseases, such as Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical cancer, and tumors arising from lymphoid tissue, called lymphomas. Kaposi's sarcoma causes round, brown, reddish, or purple tumors on the skin or in the mouth. After an AIDS diagnosis, on average, patients live another 2-3 years.

The fact of infection after contact with the virus can be established after 25 days - 3 months (in some cases up to six months) using a special test - a blood test that detects antibodies to the virus. The period between the virus entering the body and the formation of antibodies to it in the blood is called the window period.

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HIV infection is asymptomatic in most cases and the only way to detect it is to donate blood.

The results are reported in person, but it is better to take them at the test center or speed center. There is no point in going to another city. No one is isolating anyone, HIV is not transmitted through everyday interactions.

AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, has symptoms of 25 different diseases. Much has already been written about this disease, but scientists have not yet been able to come to a consensus regarding its symptoms. So, if the patient is not diagnosed with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), but he, for example, suffers from cancer, rheumatism of the joints, sarcoma, pneumonia, diarrhea, dementia, mycoses, tuberculosis, high fever, herpetic rash, various neurological symptoms and disorders, then everything is in order, since all these diseases are considered common. But if the same person is diagnosed with HIV, all of these symptoms immediately become “AIDS symptoms.”

AIDS is directly related to self-love. This disease affects a person who does not love himself and regrets that he is not of the opposite sex. AIDS is common among both homosexuals and heterosexuals. In some regions of our planet - for example, Africa, Asia (India) - AIDS is more common among heterosexuals, which is explained by mass prostitution and promiscuity. Every day more and more children are born infected with AIDS in the womb.

You won't die from AIDS - if you stop thinking that you don't deserve to live on this planet. Understand that any disappointment, all that you consider unfair, is the result of expecting too much from others and relying too much on their love. You are looking for someone's love because you do not seriously believe in your importance, in the fact that you actually ARE a unique person.

How to find out if you have HIV without leaving your computer screen!

In Russian regions, the number of HIV-infected people has increased to one in every fifty people. This is a lot, a worthy reason for paranoia. We will help you decide whether you need to see a doctor right now.

The whole world has been desperately trying to overcome acquired immune deficiency syndrome for almost thirty years - since the WHO Global AIDS Program was established in 1987. At the same time, HIV infection was first diagnosed in a citizen of the USSR. The mere fact that everyone knows about this disease is a definite plus: these days, it’s problematic to catch HIV just like that, without doing anything reprehensible. Therefore, the first stage of getting rid of anxiety is to think and clearly understand whether you belong to the risk group.

Who are you?

Three quarters of AIDS patients acquire the virus through unprotected sex. Moreover, during homosexual sex this probability increases many times over. If this does not apply to you, congratulations: you have fallen out of the riskiest group.

Drug addicts constitute the second large-scale risk group - from 11% to 17% of patients (in Russia even more). If you have had contact with unsterile syringes, then it is better not to read the article further, but go get checked right now!

Next come the children of infected parents, victims of negligent doctors (hemophiliacs suffered especially many), and so on. All of the above is definitely not about you? Then you can breathe a sigh, if not with relief, then at least with semi-relief.

What happened to you?

As you probably know, AIDS does not destroy a person on its own, but through hired killers, that is, these are various outsiders various diseases kill an organism that AIDS has left without immune protection. IN this fact and lies the main difficulty in recognizing whether you have AIDS or a common runny nose. However, over the years of observation, doctors have identified a number of external manifestations of HIV infection.

In men, some signs of the onset of immunodeficiency are not as obvious as in women, or are even completely absent. And yet they exist common elements. Try to mentally answer the following ten questions:

1. Do you often have attacks of fever?
2. Do you complain about a rash, herpes, or lichen?
3. Do you feel enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin?
4. Constant fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea - is this about you?
5. Does your skin suffer from fungal infections?
6. Do you complain of candidiasis (burning of the genital organ, white coating in the same places, painful sex and urination)?
7. One of the most obvious true companions of AIDS is Kaposi's sarcoma. Do you have any strange, even painless tumors?
8. Do you observe light spots on the tongue or in the oral cavity?
9. Are you experiencing suspicious weight loss not related to diets and exercise?
10. Do wounds, even the smallest ones, take too long to heal?

If you answer yes to at least a third of these questions, if we were you, we would already go get checked. And point 7 alone is enough to get tested for AIDS immediately.

Of course, people who look completely healthy can turn out to be HIV carriers. Only a certified test will provide a guarantee. However, if you have no symptoms and you are not in the risk group, then you can sleep soundly and think only about good things. But know this: if you get checked, you are guaranteed to sleep twice as soundly!

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How to determine AIDS

AIDS is a terrible disease of our time. It identifies various diseases occurring in the human body. Infections affect internal organs, weakening the immune system. An accurate diagnosis can be determined by conducting laboratory tests. Doctors - specialists can tell for sure whether there is HIV and AIDS in the body or not. But the symptoms and external manifestations are easy to determine on your own.

Symptoms of the disease

Changes in the general condition and appearance of the infected person. For others, a sharp change in weight downwards, a sharp manifestation of weakness, and a fever that appears for no reason becomes noticeable.

Change in stool quality. Constant diarrhea is a sign of HIV and AIDS.
Availability skin diseases. Ulcers, unpleasant spots, purulent blisters are present on the skin. Warts appear on the body, which the patient cannot remove.
Skin diseases of the legs. Foot fungus affects the nails, feet and entire lower limbs. Nails change color, break, change shape.
Increase in colds, pneumonia.
Formation of unknown tumors. Lymph nodes enlarge. The tumor appears behind the ears, on the neck, under the chin, in the groin area, under and above the collarbone.
HIV and AIDS changes the behavior of the infected person due to its effects on the brain. The patient cannot control his behavior or concentrate. Memory functionality decreases. A person becomes unable to learn a small simple poem by heart.
Changes in mood. In a person infected with HIV, AIDS most often bad condition spirit, he is dissatisfied with himself and everyone around him. All simple requests become a problem of the highest quality.

Any symptom can be considered a signal to see a doctor. Early detection stages of the disease are an opportunity to be cured. A blood test and a complete analysis will give a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. Doctors will check the number of cells feeding the immune system. They will check and be able to determine what disease has settled in the human body.

How to determine AIDS

Changing the level of immunity leads to the manifestation of various diseases. A weakened body cannot resist viruses, which in a healthy state can be easily combated even without medical help. medical supplies. The situation is changing. Any disease becomes terrible and dangerous.

The moment of infection and the moment of detection are sometimes separated by years, but these years do not pass without a trace for the weakened body. An accurate diagnosis can be established using special diagnostics, laboratory tests, research and verification.

What is required to establish an accurate diagnosis:

Detection of the presence of HIV and AIDS antibodies in the body.
Determination of the presence of RNA virus.
Accurate counting of the number of lymphocytes in the blood, the percentage of their deviation from the norm.

Detecting HIV is a very complex process and can take several years. The virus is detected in a person positive for HIV after determining the composition of blood components. You need to take a closer look different manifestations illnesses, including feces. Long-term diarrhea, causeless fever, frequent weakness, sudden weight loss may be symptoms of a terrible disease.

The human body ceases to resist diseases. The first signs appear on the skin: spots, ulcers, warts. One of the diseases that affects humans is foot fungus.

Decreased immunity leads to frequent colds.
The appearance of diseases in the oral cavity: thrush.
The tongue and inner surfaces of the cheeks become covered with white ulcers or plaques.
Herpes prolapse on the face;
Increased incidence of laryngitis;
The gums begin to bleed, this is especially noticeable in the morning;
Skin bleeding and decreased clotting become noticeable.

Possibilities of disease transmission

A disease that has no analogues, is complex in its course and treatment, can be acquired in various ways:

Sexual intercourse of any type: vaginal, oral, anal.
Infection through the blood of an infected person (syringe, needle, transfusion, contact with opened wounds).
Genital fluids. They are especially dangerous for babies during pregnancy.

Inability to become infected in the following cases:

Simple contact;
Staying close to the patient, communicating with him.
Exchanging hugs or crying together;
Through salivation.

You need to know for sure: HIV and AIDS do not cause death. They die from other diseases that the virus allows into the body, and it, weakening, ceases to resist.

Research into the disease and search for treatment options

Medical sources cannot find drugs to treat and destroy the virus that has entered the human body. All experiments and experiences do not yield results in finding a remedy that can drive out the infection. Currently, there are only drugs that slow down the progression of the immune system. The entire therapy system is aimed at reducing viral cells. Their development can be delayed. Medicine help preserve lymphocytes, which support cell resistance to viruses and infections.

Doctors continually continue to study the nature of HIV AIDS, hoping to find a solution to the problem; they either come close to it, announce the emergence of miracle cures, including those made at home, or again slide far back, recognizing the victory of painful viruses over the works of medical geniuses. It can be considered that the main step in preventing the disease is warning about acquiring the virus through unknown sexual relations and dirty syringes.

Stages of infection development

V.I. Pokrovsky developed a classification of development and divided the course of the disease into stages in 1989.

Incubator development stage. The settlement of the virus in the body, its reaction to external manifestations. The duration of the period is not defined, it is individual in each specific case, is not repeated and is not subject to analysis. One can only guess its duration, it is impossible to determine exactly.
Primary signs of lymphadenopathy. The form of manifestation of symptoms is febrile, acute, asymptomatic.
Latent stage. Time of destruction of lymphocytes by the virus. It can last from 2 years to 20 years. It all depends on the body’s resistance, the level of its internal security, and strength.
Terminal outcome stage. The disease wins, the body stops defending itself, and all secondary infections become incurable.
The stage of active manifestation of side diseases. The stage of clear manifestation of signs of HIV/AIDS.

Weight reduction;
Deterioration of the nervous system;
Increase in infectious diseases;
Skin manifestations of infections and viruses;
Damage to mucous membranes and respiratory organs.

Manifestations of the disease

Signs of HIV become noticeable from the second stage of the disease. They are characterized acute form, febrile course, incomprehensible sharp symptoms.

joint pain, headaches, throat infections;
Pain in the eyes, changes in vision;
Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, groin, armpits;
Intoxication: gag reflex, diarrhea;
Constantly elevated body temperature – 37.5;
Weight loss: sharp and independent of food consumption;
Ulcerative manifestations on the skin;
Heavy sensations in bright light, desire for twilight.

You should be careful about your health, and the disease can be avoided or detected in time.

AIDS virus(abbreviation HIV) was discovered in 1983 while researching the causes of AIDS - syndrome immunodeficiency. The first official publications about AIDS appeared back in 1981; the new disease was associated with sarcoma Kaposi and unusual pneumonia in homosexuals. The designation AIDS (AIDS) was established as a term in 1982, when similar symptoms identified in drug addicts, homosexuals and patients with hemophilia were combined into a single acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Modern definition of HIV infection: viral disease, which is based on immunodeficiency, which causes the development of concomitant (opportunistic) infections and oncological processes.

AIDS is the last stage of HIV infection, congenital or acquired.

How can you become infected with HIV?

The source of infection is an HIV-infected person, at any stage of the disease and for life. Large quantities of the virus are contained in blood (including menstrual fluid) and lymph, semen, saliva, vaginal discharge, breast milk, liquor– cerebrospinal fluid, tears. Endemic(referenced to location) HIV outbreak identified in West Africa, monkeys are infected with type 2 virus. No natural site of type 1 virus has been found. HIV is transmitted only from person to person.

During unprotected sexual intercourse the possibility of contracting HIV increases if there is inflammation, microtrauma of the skin or mucous membranes of the genitals, anus. At the only one Infection occurs rarely during sexual intercourse, but with each subsequent sexual intercourse the likelihood increases. During any type of intercourse receiving the sexual partner is at greater risk of acquiring HIV (from 1 to 50 per 10,000 episodes of unprotected sex) than the transmitting partner (0.5 – 6.5). Therefore, the risk group includes prostitutes with their clients and "barebackers"– gays who deliberately do not use condoms.

HIV transmission routes

A child can become infected with HIV in utero from an infected mother, if there are defects in the placenta and the virus enters the blood of the fetus. During childbirth, infection occurs through injured birth canal, later through breast milk. Between 25 and 35% of children born to HIV-infected mothers may become carriers of the virus or develop AIDS.

By medical reasons : transfusion of whole blood and cell mass (platelets, red blood cells), fresh or frozen plasma to patients. Among medical staff, accidental injections with a contaminated needle account for 0.3-0.5% of all cases of HIV infection, so doctors are at risk.

With intravenous injections with a “public” needle or syringe, the risk of contracting HIV is more than 95%, therefore at the moment the majority of carriers of the virus and an inexhaustible source of infection are drug addicts, constituting the main risk group for HIV.

HIV CANNOT be contracted through everyday contact. as well as through water in pools and baths, insect bites, air.

Spread of HIV

Features are a variable incubation period, unequal speed of onset and severity of symptoms, which directly depend on the state of human health. People weakened(asocials, drug addicts, residents of poor countries) or with accompanying chronic or acute STDs(, etc.), get sick more often and more severely, HIV symptoms appear faster, and life expectancy is 10-11 years from the moment of infection.

In a prosperous social environment, in practically healthy people, the incubation period can last 10-20 years, the symptoms are erased and progress very slowly. With adequate treatment, such patients live long, and death occurs after natural reasons- due to age.

Statistics:

At the beginning of 2014, there were 35 million people in the world diagnosed with HIV;
The increase in people infected in 2013 was 2.1 million, deaths from AIDS - 1.5 million;
The number of registered HIV carriers among the entire world population is approaching 1%;
In the Russian Federation in 2013, there were 800 thousand infected and sick people, that is, about 0.6% of the population is affected by HIV;
90% of all AIDS cases in Europe occur in Ukraine (70%) and the Russian Federation (20%).

HIV prevalence by country (percentage of virus carriers among adults)

Data:

HIV is more often detected in men than in women;
In the last 5 years, cases of HIV detection in pregnant women have become more frequent;
Residents of northern European countries become infected and suffer from AIDS much less often than southerners;
Africans are most susceptible to the immunodeficiency virus, approximately 2/3 of all sick and infected people are in Africa;
Those infected with the virus over the age of 35 develop AIDS 2 times faster than younger people.

Characteristics of the virus

HIV belongs to the group retroviruses HTLV groups and genus lentiviruses(“slow” viruses). It has the appearance of spherical particles, 60 times smaller in size than a red blood cell. It dies quickly in an acidic environment, under the influence of 70% ethanol, 3% hydrogen peroxide or 0.5% formaldehyde. Sensitive to heat treatment– becomes inactive after 10 minutes. already at +560°C, at 1000°C – within a minute. Resistant to ultraviolet radiation, radiation, freezing and drying.

Blood with HIV that gets on various objects remains infectious for up to 1-2 weeks.

HIV constantly changes its genome, each subsequent virus differs from the previous one by one step of the RNA - nucleotide chain. The HIV genome is 104 nucleotides long, and the number of errors during reproduction is such that after about 5 years nothing remains of the original combinations: HIV mutates completely. Consequently, previously used drugs become ineffective, and new ones have to be invented.

Although in nature there are not even two absolutely identical HIV genomes, some groups of viruses have typical signs. Based on them, all HIV are classified into groups, numbered 1 to 4.

HIV-1: the most common, this group was the first to be discovered (1983).
HIV-2: Less likely to be contracted than HIV-1. Those infected with type 2 do not have immunity to type 1 of the virus.
HIV-3 and 4: rare variations, do not particularly affect the spread of HIV. In the formation of a pandemic (a general epidemic covering countries on different continents), HIV-1 and 2 are of primary importance, with HIV-2 being more common in West African countries.

Development of AIDS

Normally, the body is protected from the inside: the main role is played by cellular immunity, in particular lymphocytes. T lymphocytes produces the thymus (thymus gland), functional responsibilities they are divided into T-helpers, T-killers and T-suppressors. Helpers“recognize” tumor cells and cells damaged by viruses, and activate T-killers, which destroy atypical formations. Suppressor T cells regulate the direction of the immune response, preventing it from launching a reaction against its own healthy tissues.

A T-lymphocyte affected by a virus becomes atypical, the immune system reacts to it as a foreign formation and “sends” T-killers to help. They destroy the former T-helper, the capsids are released and take with them part of the lipid membrane of the lymphocyte, becoming unrecognizable to the immune system. Then the capsids disintegrate, and new virions are introduced inside other T helper cells.

Gradually, the number of helper cells decreases, and inside the human body, the “friend or foe” recognition system ceases to function. In addition to this, HIV activates the mechanism of mass apoptosis(programmed death) of all types of T-lymphocytes. The result is active inflammatory reactions to resident (normal, permanent) and conditionally pathogenic microflora, and at the same time an inadequate response of the immune system to truly dangerous fungi and tumor cells. Immunodeficiency syndrome develops, characteristic symptoms AIDS.

Clinical manifestations

Symptoms of HIV depend on the period and stage of the disease, as well as on the form in which the impact of the virus primarily manifests itself. Periods of HIV They are divided into incubation, when there are no antibodies to the virus in the blood, and clinical - antibodies are detected, the first signs of the disease appear. IN clinical differentiate stages HIV:

Primary, including two forms– asymptomatic and acute infection without secondary manifestations, with concomitant diseases;
Latent;
AIDS with secondary diseases;
Terminal stage.

I. Incubation period The time from HIV infection to the onset of symptoms is called the serologic window. Serum reactions to the immunodeficiency virus are negative: specific antibodies have not yet been detected. The average incubation duration is 12 weeks; the period can be reduced to 14 days with concomitant STDs, tuberculosis, general asthenia, or increased to 10-20 years. During the entire period the patient dangerous as a source of HIV infection.

II. Stage of primary manifestations of HIV characterized seroconversion– the appearance of specific antibodies, serological reactions become positive. The asymptomatic form is diagnosed only by a blood test. Acute HIV infection occurs 12 weeks after infection (50-90% of cases).

First signs manifested by fever various types rash, lymphadenitis, sore throat (pharyngitis). Possible intestinal upset - diarrhea and abdominal pain, enlarged liver and spleen. A typical laboratory sign: mononuclear lymphocytes, which are found in the blood at this stage of HIV.

Secondary diseases appear in 10-15% of cases against the background of a transient decrease in the number of T-helper lymphocytes. The severity of the diseases is average, they are treatable. The duration of the stage is on average 2-3 weeks, in most patients it becomes latent.

Forms acute HIV infections:

III. Latent stage of HIV, lasts up to 2-20 years or more. Immunodeficiency progresses slowly, HIV symptoms are expressed lymphadenitis– enlarged lymph nodes. They are elastic and painless, mobile, the skin retains its normal color. When diagnosing latent HIV infection, the number of enlarged nodes is taken into account - at least two, and their location - at least 2 groups not connected by a common lymph flow (exception - inguinal nodes). Lymph moves in the same direction as venous blood, from the periphery to the heart. If 2 lymph nodes are enlarged in the head and neck area, then this is not considered a sign of the latent stage of HIV. A combined increase in groups of nodes located in the upper and lower parts of the body, plus a progressive decrease in the number of T-lymphocytes (helper cells) testify in favor of HIV.

IV. Secondary diseases, with periods of progression and remission, depending on the severity of manifestations, it is divided into stages (4 A-B). Persistent immunodeficiency develops against the background of massive death of T-helper cells and depletion of lymphocyte populations. Manifestations – various visceral (internal) and skin manifestations, Kaposi's sarcoma.

V. Terminal stage irreversible changes are inherent, treatment is ineffective. The number of T helper cells (CD4 cells) falls below 0.05x109/l, patients die weeks or months from the onset of the stage. In drug addicts who have been using psychoactive substances for several years, CD4 levels may remain almost within normal limits, but severe infectious complications (abscesses, pneumonia, etc.) develop very quickly and lead to death.

Kaposi's sarcoma

Sarcoma ( angiosarcoma) Kaposi - a tumor emanating from connective tissue and affects the skin, mucous membranes and internal organs. Triggered by the herpes virus HHV-8; more common in men infected with HIV. The epidemic type is one of the reliable signs of AIDS. Kaposi's sarcoma develops in stages: it begins with the appearance spots 1-5 mm in size, irregular shape, bright bluish-red or brown color, with a smooth surface. In AIDS, they are bright, localized on the tip of the nose, hands, mucous membranes and on the hard palate.

Then they are formed tubercles– papules, round or semicircular, up to 10 mm in diameter, elastic to the touch, can merge into plaques with a surface similar to orange peel. Tubercles and plaques transform into nodular tumors 1-5 cm in size, which merge with each other and are covered ulcers. At this stage, sarcoma can be confused with syphilitic gummas. Syphilis is often combined with the immunodeficiency virus, like hepatitis C, shortening the incubation period and causing rapid development acute symptoms AIDS – lymphadenitis, damage to internal organs.

Kaposi's sarcoma is clinically divided into forms– acute, subacute and chronic. Each is characterized by the rate of tumor development, complications and prognosis regarding the duration of the disease. At acute form, the process quickly spreads, the cause of death is intoxication and extreme exhaustion ( cachexia), life time from 2 months to a maximum of 2 years. At subacute During the course of the disease, symptoms increase more slowly, life expectancy is 2-3 years; for the chronic form of sarcoma – 10 years, possibly more.

HIV in children

Incubation period lasts about a year if HIV was transmitted from mother to fetus. If infected through blood (parenterally) – up to 3.5 years; After transfusion of contaminated blood, the incubation is short, 2-4 weeks, and the symptoms are severe. HIV infection in children primarily affects the nervous system(up to 80% of cases); long-term, lasting up to 2-3 years, bacterial inflammation; with damage to the kidneys, liver and heart.

Very often develops Pneumocystis or lymphocytic pneumonia, parotid inflammation salivary glands (mumps, he's a pig). HIV manifests itself at congenital dysmorphic syndrome– impaired development of organs and systems, in particular microcephaly – reduced size of the head and brain. A decrease in the blood level of gamma globulin fraction proteins is observed in half of those infected with HIV. Very rare Kaposi's sarcoma and hepatitis C, B.

Dysmorphic syndrome or HIV embryonopathy determined in children infected with early timing of pregnancy. Manifestations: microcephaly, nose without membranes, the distance between the eyes is increased. The forehead is flat, upper lip split and protrudes forward. Strabismus, eyeballs protruding outward ( exophthalmos), the cornea is bluish in color. There is growth retardation, development does not correspond to norms. Prognosis for life in general negative, mortality is high during 4-9 months of life.

Manifestations of neuro-AIDS: chronic meningitis, encephalopathy(damage to brain tissue) with the development of dementia, damage to peripheral nerves with symmetrical disorders of sensitivity and trophism in the arms and legs. Children are significantly behind their peers in development, prone to convulsions and muscle hypertonicity, and may develop paralysis of the limbs. Diagnosis of HIV neuro-symptoms is based on clinical signs, blood test data and results computed tomography. Layer-by-layer images reveal atrophy(reduction) of the cerebral cortex, expansion of the cerebral ventricles. HIV infection is characterized by calcium deposits in the basal ganglia of the brain. Progression of encephalopathy leads to death within 12-15 months.

Pneumocystis pneumonia: in children of the 1st year of life it is observed in 75% of cases, over a year - in 38%. Often pneumonia develops by the age of six months, manifestations - heat, rapid breathing, dry and persistent cough. Excessive sweating, especially at night; weakness that only gets worse over time. Pneumonia is diagnosed after auscultation (according to the stages of development, weakened breathing is heard first, then small dry rales, in the resolution stage - crepitus, the sound is heard at the end of inspiration); X-ray (enhanced pattern, infiltration of pulmonary fields) and microscopy of biomaterial (pneumocystis are detected).

Lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia : a unique disease associated specifically with childhood AIDS; there are no concomitant infections. The partitions between the alveoli and the tissue around the bronchi become denser, where lymphocytes and other immune cells are found. Pneumonia begins unnoticed, develops slowly, among initial symptoms A prolonged dry cough and dry mucous membranes are typical. Then shortness of breath appears and increases sharply respiratory failure. The X-ray image shows thickening of the lung fields, enlarged lymph nodes in the mediastinum - the space between the lungs.

Laboratory tests for HIV

The most common method for diagnosing HIV is (ELISA or ELISA test), which is used to detect the immunodeficiency virus. Antibodies to HIV are formed between three weeks and 3 months after infection and are detected in 95% of cases. After six months, HIV antibodies are found in 9% of patients, later - only in 0.5-1%.

As biomaterial use blood serum taken from a vein. You can get a false-positive ELISA result if HIV infection is accompanied by autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis), cancer or chronic infectious diseases(tuberculosis, syphilis). A false negative response occurs during the so-called period. seronegative window, when antibodies have not yet appeared in the blood. In this case, to control HIV, you need to donate blood again, after a pause of 1 to 3 months.

If the ELISA is assessed as positive, the HIV test is duplicated using a polymerase chain reaction, determining the presence of viral RNA in the blood. The technique is highly sensitive and specific and does not depend on the presence of antibodies to the immunodeficiency virus. Immunoblotting is also used, which makes it possible to detect antibodies to HIV protein particles with precise molecular weights (41, 120 and 160 thousand). Their identification gives the right to make a final diagnosis without confirmation by additional methods.

HIV test Necessarily This is done only during pregnancy; in other cases, a similar examination is voluntary. Doctors do not have the right to disclose the diagnosis; all information about patients and people infected with HIV is confidential. Patients have the same rights as healthy people. Criminal punishment is provided for the deliberate spread of HIV (Article 122 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Principles of treatment

HIV treatment is prescribed after a clinical examination and laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis. The patient is constantly monitored, repeated blood tests are carried out during antiviral therapy and after treatment of HIV manifestations.

A cure for HIV has not yet been invented, and there is no vaccine. It is impossible to remove the virus from the body, and this is a fact at this time. However, one should not lose hope: active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can reliably slow down and even practically stop the development of HIV infection and its complications.

The life expectancy of patients receiving modern treatment is 38 years (for men) and 41 years (women). The exception is the combination of HIV with hepatitis C, when less than half of the patients reach the 5-year survival threshold.

HAART– a technique based on the use of several pharmaceuticals at once that affect various mechanisms of the development of HIV symptoms. Therapy combines several goals at once.

Virological: block the reproduction of the virus to reduce the viral load (the number of HIV copies in 1 ml3 of blood plasma) and keep it at a low level.
Immunological: Stabilize the immune system to raise T-lymphocyte levels and restore the body's defenses against infections.
Clinical: to increase the full life span of those infected with HIV, to prevent the development of AIDS and its manifestations.

Virological treatment

The human immunodeficiency virus is treated with drugs that prevent it from attaching to a T-lymphocyte and penetrating inside - this is inhibitors(suppressors) penetration. A drug Celzentry.

The second group of drugs consists of viral protease inhibitors, which is responsible for the formation of full-fledged viruses. When it is inactivated, new viruses are formed, but they cannot infect new lymphocytes. Drugs Kaletra, Viracept, Reyataz and etc.

The third group is inhibitors of reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that helps reproduce viral RNA in the lymphocyte nucleus. Drugs Zinovudine, Didanosine.They also use combination medications against HIV, which need to be taken only once a day - Trizivir, Combivir, Lamivudine, Abacavir.

With simultaneous exposure to drugs, the virus cannot enter the lymphocytes and “multiply”. Upon appointment tritherapy The ability of HIV to mutate and develop insensitivity to drugs is taken into account: even if the virus becomes immune to one drug, the remaining two will still work. Dosage calculated for each patient, taking into account the state of health and possible side effects. A separate regimen is used for pregnant women, and after using HAART, the frequency of HIV transmission from mother to child decreases from 20-35% to 1-1.2%.

It is important to take your medications at the same time for the rest of your life.: if the schedule is violated or the course is interrupted, treatment completely loses its meaning. Viruses quickly change their genome, becoming immune ( resistant) to therapy, and form numerous resistant strains. With such a development of the disease, choosing antiviral treatment is very problematic, and sometimes simply impossible. Cases of the development of resistance are more often observed among HIV-infected drug addicts and alcoholics, for whom strict adherence to the treatment schedule is unrealistic.

The drugs are effective, but their prices are high. For example, the cost of one-year treatment with Fuzeon (a group of penetration inhibitors) reaches $25 thousand, and the monthly cost when using Trizivir ranges from $1000.

note, that farm. funds almost always have two names - by active substance and the commercial name of the drug given to it by the manufacturer. The prescription must be written exactly according to active substance, indicating its quantity in a tablet (capsule, ampoule, etc.). Substances with identical effects are often presented under different names. commercial names and may vary significantly in price. The pharmacist’s job is to offer the patient several options to choose from and guide them regarding the cost. Generics- analogues of original developments, always cost much less than “branded” drugs.

Immunological and clinical treatment

Using an immunostimulant drug Inosine pranobex, due to which the level of lymphocytes increases, the activity of certain fractions of leukocytes is stimulated. The antiviral effect indicated in the annotation does not apply to HIV. Indications, relevant for HIV-infected people: viral hepatitis C, B; immunodeficiency states; cytomegalovirus; herpes simplex virus type 1; mumps. Dosages: adults and children 3-4 times/day. at the rate of 50-100 mg/kg. Well 5-15 days, can be repeated many times, but only under the supervision of an infectious disease specialist. Contraindications: increased content uric acid in blood ( hyperuricemia), kidney stones, systemic diseases, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Interferon group drug Viferon has antiviral and immunomodulatory activity. In the case of HIV (or AIDS), it is used for Kaposi's sarcoma, mycoses and hairy cell leukemia. The effect of the drug is complex: interferon enhances the activity of T-helper cells and increases the production of lymphocytes, and blocks the proliferation of viruses in several ways. Additional components - vitamin C, E - protect cells, and the effectiveness of interferon increases 12-15 times (synergistic effect). Viferon can be taken in long courses, its activity does not decrease over time. In addition to HIV, indications are any viral infections, mycoses (including internal organs), hepatitis C, B or D. When administered rectally the drug is used twice a day for a course of 5-10 days; ointment is not used for HIV. Pregnant women are prescribed starting from the 14th week.

Treatment of pulmonary manifestations

The main early manifestation of HIV infection is inflammation of the lungs.to their caused by pneumocystis (Pneumocystis carina), single-celled organisms, similar to mushrooms and protozoa at the same time. In patients with AIDS, untreated Pneumocystis pneumonia is fatal in 40% of cases, and correct and timely prescribed therapeutic regimens help reduce the mortality rate to 25%. With the development of a relapse, the prognosis worsens, repeated pneumonia is less sensitive to treatment, and mortality reaches 60%.

Treatment: basic drugs – biseptol (bactrim) or pentamidine. They act in different directions, but ultimately lead to the death of pneumocystis. Biseptol is taken orally, pentamidine is injected into the muscles or into a vein. The course is from 14 to 30 days; for AIDS, it is preferable to use pentamidine. The drugs are not prescribed together, because their toxic effect increases without a noticeable increase in the therapeutic effect.

Low toxic drug DFMO (alpha-difluoromethylornithine) acts on pneumocystis and simultaneously blocks the reproduction of retroviruses, which include HIV, and also has a beneficial effect on lymphocytes. The course is 2 months, the daily dosage is calculated based on 6 g per 1 square meter. meter of body surface and divide it into 3 steps.

With adequate treatment of pneumonia, improvement is noticeable already on days 4-5 from the start of therapy; after a month, in a quarter of patients, pneumocystis are not detected at all.

Immunity to HIV

Statistics of confirmed HIV resistance: among Europeans, 1% are completely immune to the immunodeficiency virus, up to 15% are partially immune. In both cases the mechanisms are unclear. Scientists associate this phenomenon with epidemics bubonic plague in Europe of the 14th and 18th centuries (Scandinavia), when, perhaps, in some people early genetic mutations became established in heredity. There is also a group of so-called. “non-progressors”, who make up about 10% of those infected with HIV, in whom AIDS symptoms do not appear for a long time. In general, there is no immunity to HIV.

A person is immune to the HIV-1 serotype if his body produces the TRIM5a protein, which is able to “recognize” the viral capsid and block the replication of HIV. The CD317 protein can keep viruses on the surface of cells, preventing them from infecting healthy lymphocytes, and CAML makes it difficult for new viruses to be released into the blood. The beneficial activity of both proteins is disrupted by hepatitis C and simplex viruses, therefore, with these concomitant diseases the risks of HIV infection are higher.

Prevention

The fight against the AIDS epidemic and its consequences has been declared by WHO:

HIV prevention among drug addicts means explaining the dangers of infection through injections, providing disposable syringes and exchanging used ones for sterile ones. The latest measures seem strange and are associated with the spread of drug addiction, but in in this case It is easier to at least partially stop the routes of HIV infection than to wean off a huge number of drug addicts.

An HIV first aid kit will be useful to everyone in everyday life, in the workplace - for doctors and rescuers, as well as people in contact with people infected with HIV. Medicines are accessible and basic, but their use really reduces the risk of infection with the immunodeficiency virus:

Alcohol solution of iodine 5%;
Ethanol 70%;
Dressing supplies (pack of sterile gauze swabs, bandages, plaster) and scissors;
Sterile distilled water – 500 ml;
Crystals of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) or hydrogen peroxide 3%;
Eye pipettes (sterile, in packaging or in a case);
Specific medications are provided only for physicians working at blood collection stations and in hospital emergency departments.

Blood that got into on the skin from an HIV-infected person, you should immediately wash it off with soap and water, then treat it with a swab soaked in alcohol. For an injection or cut through gloves they need to be removed, the blood squeezed out, hydrogen peroxide applied to the wound; then blot the foam, cauterize the edges of the wound with iodine and, if necessary, apply a bandage. Hit in the eyes: Rinse first with water, then with potassium permanganate solution (faint pink). Oral cavity: rinse with poor pink potassium permanganate, then with 70% ethanol. After unprotected intercourse: if possible, shower, then treat (douching, washing) the genitals with a rich pink solution of potassium permanganate.

AIDS prevention will be more effective if every person becomes conscious of their health. It is much easier to use a condom during sexual intercourse and avoid unwanted acquaintances (prostitutes, drug addicts) than to undergo long and expensive treatment later. To understand the picture of the danger of HIV, just compare the statistics: per year from fever Ebola About 8,000 people died, and more than 1.5 million died from HIV! conclusions are obvious and disappointing - in the modern world, the immunodeficiency virus has become a real threat to all humanity.

Video: educational film about HIV

Video: AIDS in the program “Live Healthy!”

How can you determine from a person’s appearance whether he has AIDS or not?

Oh, if only it were possible to easily determine whether a person is outwardly ill, this problem would not threaten humanity. The saddest thing is that after conception, a person develops small symptoms in the form of chills for a week or two, after which a latent phase begins, which can last 10 years. The number of HIV symptoms in men differs slightly from the number of HIV symptoms in women.

One of the distinguishing signs is a rash. As a rule, these are areas of discolored skin. It usually appears within one week to one month after infection.

Signs also include loss of appetite and fatigue. One of the most striking symptoms is enlarged lymph nodes in the groin area, neck and armpits. They gradually become swollen and hard. You should be careful about this particular symptom, because it is easy to miss: the lymph nodes do not give any pain signals and do not cause any discomfort. It should be noted that swollen lymph nodes are present not only with HIV, but also with other diseases.

Signs of HIV in women include pelvic infections. Unfortunately, women do not always have symptoms of HIV infection.

As HIV progresses in women, you can also encounter symptoms such as white or other suspicious spots in the mouth, frequent attacks of fever, which include night heavy sweating, as in men, enlarged lymph nodes (glands) in the groin, armpits or neck, constant fatigue, as well as decreased appetite and diarrhea.

Men and women have many of the same signs of HIV infection. There are only minor differences. Although identifying AIDS in women is easier, since there are clearer signs than in men.

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How can you determine from a person’s appearance whether he has AIDS or not?

100% approved by appearance a person cannot be told about the presence of AIDS. However, there are still a number of signs indicating that a person has such a serious disease.

AIDS greatly changes the appearance of the patient. Observe the person. Some of the main signs of AIDS infection are:

Unreasonable attacks of fever;
- a sharp decline weight;
- constant fatigue and malaise;
- frequent diarrhea.

Pay attention to the person's skin. Very often infected with AIDS spots, ulcers, warts, and numerous blisters appear on the surface of the skin. Also often with AIDS, patients suffer from fungal diseases, the nails acquire a pronounced yellow and peel off.

When the brain is damaged by AIDS, the patient stabilizes Bad mood, memory deteriorates, movements become awkward. At the last stage of the disease, the patient becomes unable to perform the simplest actions.

If you notice the above symptoms in a person, then immediately send him to a doctor. It will be possible to establish the disease only after laboratory tests.

★★★★★★★★★★

You can't tell by a person's appearance whether he or she has AIDS.

Even special tests may be wrong.
Firstly, HIV infection itself in general long years may be asymptomatic. And people can look healthy.
Secondly, at the stage of development of the disease AIDS (the final stage of HIV infection), a person becomes ill with many other diseases (in fact, he eventually dies from them). And the person will look according to these diagnoses. If a person is coughing, thin, pale, you can, of course, suspect asthma, tuberculosis or pneumonia. But it is impossible to distinguish independent pneumonia from that caused by AIDS.
Thirdly, even if we take the external signs of the disease, these will be simply signs of the disease and feeling unwell. And it will not be possible to determine externally whether it is AIDS, or cancer, or tuberculosis, or hepatitis, or another disease, or a whole complex.

By external signs you can sometimes determine that a person is sick. But it is impossible to determine for sure that it is AIDS (or another disease).

Human immunodeficiency virus is a very insidious disease. Once in the human body, it manifests itself slowly.

Immediately after infection, symptoms are completely absent; this is the insidiousness of the virus. Therefore, it is very important to know how to test for HIV at home.

A person may not be aware of the presence of HIV infection in his body for a long time. It develops at the cellular level and slowly destroys the immune system.

In many cases, HIV is diagnosed after a person's immune system has been destroyed and symptoms become apparent. The disease moves into the most dangerous stage - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

HIV infection is caused by a small RNA virus. You can become infected from a sick person in several ways:

Sexually- during sexual intercourse without using a condom, since the pathogen is contained in the vaginal environment and sperm.
Through the blood- these are injections and invasive procedures during which tissue integrity is damaged. It can occur during a fight, when the blood of an infected person gets into the abrasions and cuts of a healthy person.
From mother to child during pregnancy and childbirth. The infection can cross the placenta into the fetal bloodstream.

As a result, it turns out that the protective cells become an incubator for a terrible infection. Experts have not yet found ways to extract the virus from T-lymphocytes without destroying them.

Therefore, many are concerned about the question of how to recognize HIV at home. In addition, the virus tends to change its shape.

Secrets of health. HIV infection. Routes of transmission and preventive measures

HIV infection is characterized by a cyclical course. It has certain stages in its development:

incubation period;
primary manifestations are asymptomatic acute infection;
secondary manifestations - persistent damage to internal organs, damage to the skin and mucous membranes, generalized diseases;
terminal stage.

According to statistics, the disease is most often diagnosed at the stage of secondary manifestations. This is due to the fact that it is then that the symptoms of HIV begin to bother a person and become pronounced.

Sometimes at the first stage certain symptoms may also be present, but they are easily confused with other pathologies and occur in a mild form.

In this case, a person rarely seeks medical help. But even specialists cannot always make the correct diagnosis at an early stage of infection.

During this period, the symptoms will be the same in both men and women. This often confuses doctors.

The first signs of HIV may be:

temperature rise to 38-40 degrees;
rash all over the body;
enlargement of all lymph nodes;
loose stool.

These are the main symptoms of how HIV manifests itself. In some cases, already at this stage the immune system is significantly weakened. Early signs of HIV can be combined with various infections, including:

prolonged pneumonia;
fungal infection of the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract;
tuberculosis;
seborrheic dermatitis.

Approximately 50-70% of patients develop an acute febrile stage 3-6 weeks after infection. For the rest, after the incubation period, the infection immediately passes into the asymptomatic stage.

drowsiness and malaise;
headache;
pain in muscles and joints;
increased temperature and fever;
diarrhea;
sore throat;
loss of appetite and weight;
eye pain;
the appearance of painful swelling in the armpits, groin, and neck;
nausea and vomiting;
the appearance of ulcers and rashes on the mucous membranes and skin;
Possible brain damage - a manifestation of serous meningitis.

The duration of the febrile stage is approximately a week. Next comes the asymptomatic stage. In 10% of sick people, the disease progresses rapidly and is accompanied by complications.

The duration of each form depends on how quickly the virus multiplies.

This disease develops in a woman’s body unnoticed. This period can last 10-12 years. In some cases, the infection in women manifests itself in a pronounced way:

The lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, and groin area become enlarged.
One of the main signs is an unreasonable increase in body temperature, which lasts from 3 to 10 days.
Headache, weakness, arthralgia, night sweats.
Signs of the immunodeficiency virus may include decreased appetite, depression, and diarrhea.

The above symptoms can be observed not only in women, but also in men. There are a number of symptoms that are unique to the fairer sex:

anorexia;
pelvic organ infections;
various vaginal infections.
a woman may be bothered by copious mucous discharge during the intermenstrual period;
enlarged lymph nodes in the groin area;
pain during menstruation.
constant headaches and irritability can also signal the presence of a virus;
various psychological changes, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, dementia.

It is important to know how HIV manifests itself, because many girls are completely unaware that their body is infected. There is an opinion that the immunodeficiency virus develops much more slowly in the female body than in the male body.

HIV-infected people can easily be exposed to other diseases that do not pose a danger to a healthy body. But if there is a virus, it becomes very difficult to cure them.

Therefore, the ability to detect HIV in yourself in the early stages is of great importance.

The first symptoms of HIV immediately after infection are similar to other diseases in men. At the initial stage of development, they are the same as in women.

5-10 days after infection, the carrier of the virus develops a rash or discolored patches of skin of various shapes throughout the body.

You also lose your appetite, feel tired, and lose weight. Sometimes at the initial stage of development in men there is an enlargement of the liver and spleen.

Men are much more likely to become infected with HIV than women. This is caused by the need to change sexual partners, neglect of basic means of protection and contraception.

Therefore, after unprotected sexual intercourse with a new partner and if the above symptoms are present, you must undergo an examination.

Infection of the baby with the virus can occur both before and after birth. Diagnosed only at 3 years of age. In the first year, the virus manifests itself very rarely.

The course of the immunodeficiency virus in children differs from its manifestation in adults. Children who became infected in the womb experience the disease much more difficult. But with successful treatment, such babies can live normally, like completely healthy children.

To recognize HIV at home, it is important to know the symptoms. External signs in case of intrauterine infection appear in the sixth month:

growth retardation;
box-shaped protrusion of the frontal part;
microcephaly;
mild squint;
flattening of the nose;
blue sclera and elongated eye shape;
severe shortening of the nose.

Infected children have an enlarged liver and spleen, grow poorly and gain little weight. An early manifestation of the virus is enlarged lymph nodes.

As the disease progresses, other symptoms appear:

If children become infected while still in the womb, the disease is much more severe than in adults.

The time it takes for the virus to become active is the incubation period. The immunodeficiency virus invades class T lymphocytes. When it enters a cell, it penetrates its nucleus and changes the genetic program.

Conditions for activation of the immunodeficiency virus:

the presence of active chronic infections in the body, the pathogens of which constantly stimulate the production of antibodies;
sufficient activity of T-lymphocytes - cells that carry out immune reactions;
the presence of T-helpers, which do not participate in immune processes.

Groups of people with short incubation periods

Some people are at risk. Only not by the possibility of infection, but by the speed of development of the clinical picture of HIV.

People who have enough immune cells and are producing them again:

Newborns - their T cells are in the growth stage.
Drug addicts - all their processes are intensified to the maximum.

But in the modern world, experts have developed tests to independently determine the virus; they make it possible to test yourself. Such tests are inexpensive and can be purchased at pharmacies.

There are two types of tests available for sale:

A blood test from a finger, it is taken using a small puncture.
Oral swab analysis. A more convenient option, since the result can be obtained in 1-20 minutes.

But it is important to understand that a positive home test result does not mean the presence of the virus in the body. These tests are often incorrect, so you should get tested at a hospital center as soon as possible. Alternatively, this can be done anonymously.

Rapid test for HIV infection

If at least one T-cell is affected, the further mechanism of infection becomes irreversible. The production of antibodies begins - cells aimed at direct contact, which ends in complete suppression of the immune system.

After the number of immune cells free from fighting HIV decreases, symptoms of the virus begin to appear.

HIV infection is a special virus that can be transmitted through breast milk, blood, and semen. It irreversibly affects the human immune system.

Knowing the main causes of infection, symptoms, and how to test yourself at home makes it possible to promptly seek professional diagnostics and identify the disease at an early stage of development.

Life does not end with the detection of the immunodeficiency virus in the body. A healthy lifestyle, regular examinations and taking antiviral drugs will help save life for the next decade.

There is no cure for this infection yet. Certain drugs only keep an infected person alive.