How HIV turns into AIDS
How HIV turns into AIDS
After infection with HIV (immunodeficiency virushuman), the patient passes through 3 stages of the development of the disease, the last of which is AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Each of the stages is characterized by certain changes in the body and manifests itself in different ways.
Instructions
1
Significantly slow the development of HIV helpsindividually selected antiviral therapy, which suppresses the activity of the infection. With the right treatment, the patient has a high probability of living for several decades. Refusal to take specialized drugs significantly shortens the life of the patient and subsequently becomes the cause of AIDS.
2
The acute infectious stage of the disease is usuallybegins within 1-4 weeks after the virus enters the body. Infection is characterized by symptoms that are similar to the symptoms of influenza. Patients usually experience fever, fatigue, pain in the muscles and joints, headaches. The intensity of manifestations depends on the individual characteristics of the organism and depends on the state of human immunity. During this period, the virus actively multiplies. The symptoms usually occur after 2-4 weeks and the disease passes to the next stage of development.
3
The stage of clinical latency (asymptomaticHIV infection) is characterized by the absence of symptoms. In this case, the virus continues to multiply, but does so with a lower degree of intensity. This stage is the longest and can last several decades in patients who take antiviral medications. Without the appointment of appropriate treatment, the stage lasts an average of about 10 years. It is worth noting that even in the absence of any manifestations, HIV can be transmitted from person to person.
4
AIDS is the third and irreversible stagedevelopment of the disease with a fatal outcome. By the time this stage begins, the immune system is almost completely destroyed, due to the activity of the virus. The organism becomes vulnerable to various ailments, which are called opportunistic infections. They subsequently become lethal to the patient. During the AIDS period, the risk of cancer is significantly increased. Diseases such as tuberculosis, meningitis, pneumonia, herpes zoster, toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus are common. The life expectancy of the patient at this stage is 3 years, but the probability of surviving this amount of time significantly decreases when an opportunistic infection is infected, which reduces this period to 1 year, several months or even weeks.
