Top HIV AIDS Symptoms
HIV AIDS. AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome it causes a destruction of the immune system. It is the most advanced stage of the HIV virus (HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the presence of a positive HIV antibody test and one or more of the illnesses known as opportunistic infections.
The HIV virus, type 1 or 2 is widely known to be the cause of AIDS. HIV breaks down and attacks your T cells so your body is unable to defend itself against different infections. The HIV virus also attacks your peripheral nervous system, this causes nerve and muscle pain, especially in the feet, legs, and hands.
HIV is spread through direct contact with semen or blood of an individual that is infected. This can be transferred in many ways: the most common is unprotected sexual intMany people do not develop HIV AIDS symptoms after getting infected with HIV AIDS . Some people have HIV AIDS symptoms like a flu-like illness within several days to weeks after exposure to the virus. They complain of fever, headache, tiredness, and enlarged lymph glands in the neck. These HIV AIDS symptoms usually disappear on their own within a few weeks.
* Following initial infection, you may have no HIV AIDS symptoms. The progression of disease varies widely among individuals. This state may last from a few months to more than 10 years.
o During this period, the virus continues to multiply actively and infects and kills the cells of the immune system. The immune system allows us to fight against the bacteria, viruses, and other infectious causes.
o The virus destroys the cells that are the primary infection fighters, called CD4+ or T4 cells.
* Once the immune system weakens, a person infected with HIV can develop the following HIV symptoms:
HIV Symptom #1: Lack of energy
HIV Symptom #2: Weight loss
HIV Symptom #3: Frequent fevers and sweats
HIV Symptom #4: Persistent or frequent yeast infections
HIV Symptom #5: Persistent skin rashes or flaky skin
HIV Symptom #6: Short-term memory loss
HIV Symptom #7: Mouth, genital, or anal sores from herpes infections.
* AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. The definition of AIDS includes all HIV-infected people who have fewer than 200 CD4+ cells per microliter of blood. The definition also includes 26 conditions that are common in advanced HIV disease but that rarely occur in healthy people. Most of these conditions are infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and other organisms. Opportunistic infections are common in people with AIDS. Nearly every organ system is affected. Some of the common AIDS symptoms include the following:
AIDS Symptom #1: Cough and shortness of breath
AIDS Symptom #2: Seizures and lack of coordination
AIDS Symptom #3: Difficult or painful swallowing
AIDS Symptom #4: Mental symptoms such as confusion and forgetfulness
AIDS Symptom #5: Severe and persistent diarrhea
AIDS Symptom #6: Fever
AIDS Symptom #7: Vision loss
AIDS Symptom #8: Nausea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting
AIDS Symptom #9: Weight loss and extreme fatigue
AIDS Symptom #10: Severe headaches with neck stiffness
AIDS Symptom #11: Coma
* People with HIV AIDS are prone to develop various cancers such as Kaposi sarcoma, cervical cancer, and cancers of the immune system known as lymphomas. Kaposi sarcoma causes round, brown, reddish or purple spots that develop in the skin or in the mouth. After the diagnosis of HIV AIDS is made, the average survival time has been estimated to be 2-3 years.
Copyright (c) 1996 - 2005, WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information on HIV AIDS, you can go here to explore more, or you can simply take a look at our related topics below.