What is AIDS AIDS is a frightening diagnosis - like cancer, it used to mean a death sentence. It is caused by a virus - human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but the full blown disease does not take hold until five to ten years after initial infection.
Basic Info
Symptoms
Causes
Tests
Treatments
Drugs
Supplements
Alternative Therapies
Risk Factors
Complications
Prevention
Doctor Specialties
Symptoms
The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of infections that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems. These are called opportunistic infections.
People with AIDS have had their immune system depleted by HIV and are very susceptible to these opportunistic infections. Common symptoms ar
e fevers, sweats (particularly at night), swollen glands, chills, weakness, and weight loss. 
See the signs and tests section below for a list of common opportunistic infections and major symptoms associated with them.
Note: Initial infection with HIV can produce no symptoms. Some people, however, do experience flu-like symptoms with fever, rash, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, usually 2 weeks after contracting the virus. Some people with HIV infection remain without symptoms for years between the time the are exposed to the virus and when they develop AIDS.
Causes
AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among people aged 25-44 in the United States, down from number one in 1995. About 25 million people worldwide have died from this infection since the start of the epidemic, and 40.3 million people around the world are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS. The virus attacks the immune system and leaves the body vulnerable to a variety of life-threatening infections and cancers.
Common bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses that ordinarily do not cause serious disease in people with healthy immune systems can cause fatal illnesses in people with AIDS.
HIV has been found in saliva, tears, nervous system tissue and spinal fluid, blood, semen (including pre-seminal fluid, which is the liquid that comes out prior to ejaculation), vaginal fluid, and breast milk. However, only blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk generally transmit infection to others.
The virus can be transmitted:
Through sexual contact -- including oral, vaginal, and anal sex
Through blood -- via blood transfusions (now extremely rare in the US) or needle sharing
From mother to child -- a pregnant woman can transmit the virus to her fetus through their shared blood circulation, or a nursing mother can transmit it to her baby in her milk
Other transmission methods are rare and include accidental needle injury, artificial insemination with infected donated semen, and organ transplantation with infected organs.
HIV infection is not spread by casual contact such as hugging, by touching items previously touched by a person infected with the virus, during participation in sports, or by mosquitoes.
It is NOT transmitted to a person who DONATES blood or organs. Those who donate organs are never in direct contact with those who receive them. Likewise, a person who donates blood is not in contact with the person receiving it. In all these procedures, sterile needles and instruments are used.
However, HIV can be transmitted to a person RECEIVING blood or organs from an infected donor. To reduce this risk, blood banks and organ donor programs screen donors, blood, and tissues thoroughly.
People at highest risk for getting HIV include:
Intravenous drug users who share needles
Infants born to mothers with HIV who don't receive HIV therapy during pregnancy
People engaging in unprotected sex
People who received blood transfusions or clotting products between 1977 and 1985 (prior to when standard screening for the virus began)
Sexual partners of those who participate in high-risk activities (such as anal sex)
AIDS begins with HIV infection. People infected with HIV may have no symptoms for 10 years or longer, but they can still transmit the infection to others during this symptom-free period. Meanwhile, if the infection is not detected and treated, the immune system gradually weakens, and AIDS develops.
Acute HIV infection progresses over time (usually a few weeks to months) to (no symptoms) and then to early symptomatic (some symptoms) HIV infection. Later, it progresses to AIDS (very advanced HIV infection with T-cell count below 200).
Almost all people infected with HIV, if not treated, will develop AIDS. There is a small group of patients who develop AIDS very slowly, or never at all. These patients are called nonprogressors, and many seem to have a genetic difference that prevents the virus from damaging their immune system
Treatment
There is no cure for AIDS at this time. However, a variety of treatments are available that can help keep symptoms at bay and improve the quality of life of those who have already developed symptoms.
Antiretroviral therapy suppresses the replication of the HIV virus in the body. A combination of several antiretroviral agents, termed highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), has been highly effective in reducing the number of HIV particles in the blood stream, as measured by a blood test called the viral load. Preventing the virus from replicating can help the immune system recover from the HIV infection and improve T-cell counts.
HAART is not a cure for HIV, and people on HAART with suppressed levels of HIV can still transmit the virus to others through sex or sharing of needles. But HAART has been enormously effective for the past 10 years. There is good evidence that if the levels of HIV remain suppressed and the CD4 count remains high (above 200 cells/mL), life can be significantly prolonged and improved.
However, HIV may become resistant to HAART in patients who do not take their medications on schedule every day. Genetic tests are now available to determine whether a particular HIV strain is resistant to a particular drug. This information may be useful in determining the best drug combination for each individual, and adjusting the drug regimen if it starts to fail. These tests should be performed any time a treatment strategy begins to fail, and prior to starting therapy.
When HIV becomes resistant to HAART, other drug combinations must be used to try to suppress the resistant strain of HIV. There are a variety of new drugs coming out on the market for the treatment of drug-resistant HIV.
Treatment with HAART has complications. HAART is a collection of different medications, each with its own side effects. Some common side effects are nausea, headache, weakness, malaise (a general sick feeling), and fat accumulation on the back ("buffalo hump") and abdomen. When used for a long time, these medications increase the risk of heart attack by increasing the levels of fat and glucose in the blood.
Any doctor prescribing HAART should carefully watch the patient for possible side effects associated with the combination of medications the patient takes. In addition, routine blood tests measuring CD4 counts and HIV viral load (a blood test that measures how much virus is in the blood) should be taken every 3-4 months. The goal is to get the CD4 count as close to normal as possible, and to suppress the HIV amount of virus in the blood to an undetectable level.
Other antiviral medications are being investigated. In addition, growth factors that stimulate cell growth, such as Epogen (erthythropoetin) and G-CSF are sometimes used to treat anemiaand low white blood cell counts associated with AIDS.
Medications are also used to prevent opportunistic infections (such as Pneumocystis uirovecipneumonia)if the CD4 count is low enough. This keeps AIDS patients healthier for longer periods of time. Opportunistic infections are treated when they happen.
Basic Info
Symptoms
Causes
Tests
Treatments
Drugs
Supplements
Alternative Therapies
Risk Factors
Complications
Prevention
Doctor Specialties
Symptoms
The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of infections that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems. These are called opportunistic infections.
People with AIDS have had their immune system depleted by HIV and are very susceptible to these opportunistic infections. Common symptoms ar
e fevers, sweats (particularly at night), swollen glands, chills, weakness, and weight loss. 
See the signs and tests section below for a list of common opportunistic infections and major symptoms associated with them.
Note: Initial infection with HIV can produce no symptoms. Some people, however, do experience flu-like symptoms with fever, rash, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, usually 2 weeks after contracting the virus. Some people with HIV infection remain without symptoms for years between the time the are exposed to the virus and when they develop AIDS.
Causes
AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among people aged 25-44 in the United States, down from number one in 1995. About 25 million people worldwide have died from this infection since the start of the epidemic, and 40.3 million people around the world are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS. The virus attacks the immune system and leaves the body vulnerable to a variety of life-threatening infections and cancers.
Common bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses that ordinarily do not cause serious disease in people with healthy immune systems can cause fatal illnesses in people with AIDS.
HIV has been found in saliva, tears, nervous system tissue and spinal fluid, blood, semen (including pre-seminal fluid, which is the liquid that comes out prior to ejaculation), vaginal fluid, and breast milk. However, only blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk generally transmit infection to others.
The virus can be transmitted:
Through sexual contact -- including oral, vaginal, and anal sex
Through blood -- via blood transfusions (now extremely rare in the US) or needle sharing
From mother to child -- a pregnant woman can transmit the virus to her fetus through their shared blood circulation, or a nursing mother can transmit it to her baby in her milk
Other transmission methods are rare and include accidental needle injury, artificial insemination with infected donated semen, and organ transplantation with infected organs.
HIV infection is not spread by casual contact such as hugging, by touching items previously touched by a person infected with the virus, during participation in sports, or by mosquitoes.
It is NOT transmitted to a person who DONATES blood or organs. Those who donate organs are never in direct contact with those who receive them. Likewise, a person who donates blood is not in contact with the person receiving it. In all these procedures, sterile needles and instruments are used.
However, HIV can be transmitted to a person RECEIVING blood or organs from an infected donor. To reduce this risk, blood banks and organ donor programs screen donors, blood, and tissues thoroughly.
People at highest risk for getting HIV include:
Intravenous drug users who share needles
Infants born to mothers with HIV who don't receive HIV therapy during pregnancy
People engaging in unprotected sex
People who received blood transfusions or clotting products between 1977 and 1985 (prior to when standard screening for the virus began)
Sexual partners of those who participate in high-risk activities (such as anal sex)
AIDS begins with HIV infection. People infected with HIV may have no symptoms for 10 years or longer, but they can still transmit the infection to others during this symptom-free period. Meanwhile, if the infection is not detected and treated, the immune system gradually weakens, and AIDS develops.
Acute HIV infection progresses over time (usually a few weeks to months) to (no symptoms) and then to early symptomatic (some symptoms) HIV infection. Later, it progresses to AIDS (very advanced HIV infection with T-cell count below 200).
Almost all people infected with HIV, if not treated, will develop AIDS. There is a small group of patients who develop AIDS very slowly, or never at all. These patients are called nonprogressors, and many seem to have a genetic difference that prevents the virus from damaging their immune system
Treatment
There is no cure for AIDS at this time. However, a variety of treatments are available that can help keep symptoms at bay and improve the quality of life of those who have already developed symptoms.
Antiretroviral therapy suppresses the replication of the HIV virus in the body. A combination of several antiretroviral agents, termed highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), has been highly effective in reducing the number of HIV particles in the blood stream, as measured by a blood test called the viral load. Preventing the virus from replicating can help the immune system recover from the HIV infection and improve T-cell counts.
HAART is not a cure for HIV, and people on HAART with suppressed levels of HIV can still transmit the virus to others through sex or sharing of needles. But HAART has been enormously effective for the past 10 years. There is good evidence that if the levels of HIV remain suppressed and the CD4 count remains high (above 200 cells/mL), life can be significantly prolonged and improved.
However, HIV may become resistant to HAART in patients who do not take their medications on schedule every day. Genetic tests are now available to determine whether a particular HIV strain is resistant to a particular drug. This information may be useful in determining the best drug combination for each individual, and adjusting the drug regimen if it starts to fail. These tests should be performed any time a treatment strategy begins to fail, and prior to starting therapy.
When HIV becomes resistant to HAART, other drug combinations must be used to try to suppress the resistant strain of HIV. There are a variety of new drugs coming out on the market for the treatment of drug-resistant HIV.
Treatment with HAART has complications. HAART is a collection of different medications, each with its own side effects. Some common side effects are nausea, headache, weakness, malaise (a general sick feeling), and fat accumulation on the back ("buffalo hump") and abdomen. When used for a long time, these medications increase the risk of heart attack by increasing the levels of fat and glucose in the blood.
Any doctor prescribing HAART should carefully watch the patient for possible side effects associated with the combination of medications the patient takes. In addition, routine blood tests measuring CD4 counts and HIV viral load (a blood test that measures how much virus is in the blood) should be taken every 3-4 months. The goal is to get the CD4 count as close to normal as possible, and to suppress the HIV amount of virus in the blood to an undetectable level.
Other antiviral medications are being investigated. In addition, growth factors that stimulate cell growth, such as Epogen (erthythropoetin) and G-CSF are sometimes used to treat anemiaand low white blood cell counts associated with AIDS.
Medications are also used to prevent opportunistic infections (such as Pneumocystis uirovecipneumonia)if the CD4 count is low enough. This keeps AIDS patients healthier for longer periods of time. Opportunistic infections are treated when they happen.
