HIV/AIDS: Causes, Treatment and Prevention

Introduction

HIV may be a virus that attacks the system , which is our body’s natural defense against illness. The virus destroys a kind of white blood corpuscle within the system called a T-helper cell, and makes copies of itself inside these cells. T-helper cells also are mentioned as CD4 cells

The virus is really not one, but several different viruses within the class of Retroviridae and therefore the genus Lentivirus. The species differs and there's a bigger list of subtypes. There are two major types: HIV 1 and HIV 2 – HIV 1 is assumed to originate from chimpanzees and gorillas in western Africa; HIV 2 originates from sooty mangabeys (another ape) found in Senegal and Ghana. HIV 1 is that the more deadly and is that the explanation for the AIDS pandemic and may be divided into the M, N, O, and P subgroups, but HIV 2 is additionally known to cause AIDS

Structure of HIV

As HIV destroys more CD4 cells and makes more copies of itself, it gradually breaks down a person’s system . this suggests someone living with HIV, who isn't receiving treatment, will find it harder and harder to repel infections and diseases. HIV spreads through bodily fluids that include

Blood

Semen

Vaginal and rectal fluids

Breast milk

Replication process of HIV viruses in physical body

The virus infects the body’s macrophages, dendritic cells, and T-cells, viz. most frequently the CD4+ lymphocytes, by attaching itself to them via its gp120 protein to the e.g

T-cell’s CD4+ protein. The CCR-5 protein then induces the fusion of the membranes. An inherent property of lentiviruses is that they need a single-strand RNA strand, not DNA, and this strand is injected when the cytoplasm’s merge because the HIV’s membrane fuses thereupon of the T-cell

The RNA is converted into DNA by polymerase and is inserted into the T-cell’s genome strand using DNA integrase. Hence, the virus is literally replacing a part of the physical body 

The infected T-cell now produces HIV RNA and amino acids that form new HIV viruses and their protein coats. These viruses then spread throughout the body the infection rate increases

The T-cells then die, causing AIDS because the immunodeficiency occurs when the bulk of T-cells are denatured. At the replication of the viral RNA, which happens 10 billion times per day, there's an opportunity of mutation of 1 nucleotide per 9 200 nucleotides, meaning resistance could develop

The virus is then spread via blood transfusions, sexual activity , or during birth (i.e. mother-to-child transmission, MTCT)

Everyday activities like sharing food and water, kissing, shaking hand, or using an equivalent toilet aren't factors that spread the condition

AIDS occurs when the body catches a secondary, an opportunistic, disease thanks to the decreased immune defense strength

Stages involved in HIV patient

HIV advances piecemeal , overwhelming your system and getting worse over time. The three stages of HIV infection are

Acute HIV infection

The first few weeks after infection is named the acute infection stage. During this point the virus rapidly reproduces. Your system responds by producing HIV antibodies. many of us experience temporary flu-like symptoms during this stage. Even without symptoms, HIV is very contagious during this point . a number of the symptoms during this stages includes

Fever (raised temperature)

Body rash

Sore throat

Swollen glands

Headache

Upset stomach

Joint aches and pains

Muscle pain

Clinical latency

After the primary month approximately , HIV enters the clinical latency phase . This stage can last from a couple of years to a couple of decades. Progression are often slowed with antiretroviral therapy. Some people have symptoms. many of us don't , but it’s still contagious. because the virus progresses, you’re left with fewer T cells. This causes you to more vulnerable to disease, infection, and infection-related cancers

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)

Without treatment, HIV is probably going to advance to AIDS. At that time , the system is just too weak to repel life-threatening disease and infection. Untreated, anticipation with AIDS is about three years

AIDS may be a disease caused by HIV. It’s the foremost advanced stage of HIV. But simply because you've got HIV doesn’t mean you’ll develop AIDS. HIV destroys T cells called CD4 cells. These cells help your system fight infections. Healthy adults generally have a CD4 count of 800 to 1,000 per cubic millimetre . If you've got HIV and your CD4 count falls below 200 per cubic millimetre , you'll be diagnosed with AIDS

You can even be diagnosed with AIDS if you've got HIV and develop an infection that's rare in people that don’t have HIV. AIDS weakens your system to the purpose where it can not repel most diseases and infections. that creates you susceptible to a good range of illnesses, including

Pneumonia

Tuberculosis

Candidiasis

Cytomegalovirus, a kind of herpes

Cryptococci meningitis

Toxoplasmosis, an infection causes by a parasite

Cryptosporidiosis, an infection caused by an intestinal parasite

Cancer, including Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) and lymphoma

Kidney disease

Symptoms that you simply may have during this point can include

Weight loss

Chronic diarrhea

Night sweats

A fever

A persistent cough

Mouth and skin problems

Regular infections

Serious illnesses or diseases

Causes or Possibilities of HIV/AIDS

Some of the ways HIV is spread from person to person include

Having unprotected sex with an infected person. this is often the foremost common route of transmission

Sharing needles, syringes, and other items for injection drug use with an infected person

Passing it on to an unborn child if the mother is HIV-positive

Passing it on to a baby through breast milk if the mother is HIV-positive

Being exposed to infected fluids, usually through needle sticks

Having a transfusion or organ and tissue transplant also can transmit the virus. But rigorous testing for HIV in blood ensures that this is often very rare within the us 

It’s theoretically possible, but considered extremely rare, for HIV to spread via

Oral sex

Being bitten by an infected person

Contact between broken skin, wounds, or mucous membranes and HIV-infected blood or fluids

HIV doesn't spread through

Skin-to-skin contact

Hugging, shaking hands, or kissing

Air or water

Eating or drinking items, including drinking fountains

Saliva, tears, or sweat (unless mixed with blood from an infected person)

Sharing a rest room , towels, or bedding

Mosquitoes or other insects

Complications during HIV

Tuberculosis

Hepatitis

Toxoplasmosis

Sexually transmitted infections

Liver or kidney damage

Urinary tract infection

Testing and Screening of HIV (Diagnosis)

There are four main sorts of HIV test

Antibody Screening Tests: These tests check for a sort of protein that your body makes in response to the HIV infection, 2-8 weeks later. They’re also called immunoassay or ELISA tests

Antibody/Antigen Combination Tests: The CDC recommends these blood tests. they will detect HIV as soon as 20 days before antibody screening tests. They check for HIV antigen, a protein called p24 that’s a part of the virus that shows up 2-4 weeks after infection, also as HIV antibodies. A rapid antibody/antigen test can offer you leads to 20 minutes

RNA Test: This looks for the virus itself and may diagnose HIV about 10 days after you’ve been exposed. It’s expensive, though, so it’s usually not the primary test. But if you’re at high risk and you've got flu-like symptoms, your doctor might want to use it

In-Home Test Kits: Two kits are available. One option is to prick your finger to urge alittle blood sample that you simply send to a lab. For the opposite , you’ll swab your upper and lower gums and test the sample during a vial. You get a end in 20 minutes

Western blot or fluorescence microscopy assay

HIV-1 macromolecule test, which looks for the virus itself

Treating of HIV/AIDS

The classes of anti-HIV drugs include

Non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitors (NNRTIs). NNRTIs disable a protein needed by HIV to form copies of itself. Examples include efavirenz (Sustiva), etravirine (Intelence) and nevirapine (Viramune)

Nucleoside or nucleotide polymerase inhibitors (NRTIs). NRTIs are faulty versions of building blocks that HIV must make copies of itself. Examples include Abacavir (Ziagen), and therefore the combination drugs emtricitabine-tenofovir (Truvada), and lamivudine-zidovudine (Combivir)

Protease inhibitors (PIs). PIs disable protease, another protein that HIV must make copies of itself. Examples include atazanavir (Reyataz), darunavir (Prezista), fosamprenavir (Lexiva) and indinavir (Crixivan)

Entry or fusion inhibitors. These drugs block HIV’s entry into CD4 cells. Examples include enfuvirtide (Fuzeon) and maraviroc (Selzentry)

Integrase inhibitors. These drugs work by disabling integrase, a protein that HIV uses to insert its genetic material into CD4 cells. Examples include raltegravir (Isentress), elvitegravir (Vitekta) and dolutegravir (Tivicay)

Fusion Inhibitors: Fusion inhibitors are a replacement class of medicine that act against HIV by preventing the virus from fusing with the within of a cell, preventing it from replicating. The group of medicine includes Enfuvirtide, also referred to as Fuzeon or T-20

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is that the use of HIV medicines to treat HIV infection. People on ART take a mixture of HIV medicines (called an HIV regimen) a day . ART is suggested for everybody infected with HIV. ART can’t cure HIV, but HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. ART also reduces the danger of HIV transmission

Prevention of HIV/AIDS

Because the foremost common ways HIV is transmitted is thru anal or vaginal sex or sharing drug injection equipment with an individual infected with HIV, it's important to require steps to scale back the risks related to these. They include

Know your HIV status. Everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should be tested for HIV a minimum of once. If you're at increased risk for HIV, you ought to be tested for HIV a minimum of once a year

If you've got HIV, you'll get medical aid , treatment, and supportive services to assist you stay healthy and reduce your ability to transmit the virus to others

If you're pregnant and find that you simply have HIV, treatments are available to scale back the prospect that your baby will have HIV