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
