AIDS and its symptoms. Symptoms of HIV and AIDS - external manifestations and stages of the disease. Medicines for HIV infection

The whole world has been desperately trying to overcome acquired immune deficiency syndrome for almost thirty years - since the WHO Global AIDS Program was established in 1987. At the same time, HIV infection was first diagnosed in a citizen of the USSR. The mere fact that everyone knows about this disease is a definite plus: these days, it’s problematic to catch HIV just like that, without doing anything reprehensible. Therefore, the first stage of getting rid of anxiety is to think and clearly understand whether you belong to the risk group.

Who are you?

Three quarters of AIDS patients acquire the virus along with unprotected sex. Moreover, during homosexual sex this probability increases many times over. If this does not apply to you, congratulations: you have fallen out of the riskiest group.

Drug addicts constitute the second large-scale risk group - from 11% to 17% of patients (in Russia even more). If you have had contact with unsterile syringes, then it is better not to read the article further, but go get checked right now!

Next come the children of infected parents, victims of negligent doctors (hemophiliacs suffered especially many), and so on. All of the above is definitely not about you? Then you can breathe a sigh, if not with relief, then at least with semi-relief.

What happened to you?

As you probably know, AIDS does not destroy a person on its own, but through hired killers, that is, these are various outsiders various diseases kill the organism that AIDS left without immune defense. In this fact lies the main difficulty in recognizing whether you have AIDS or a common runny nose. However, over the years of observation, doctors have identified a number of external manifestations of HIV infection.

In men, some signs of the onset of immunodeficiency are not as obvious as in women, or are even completely absent. And yet they exist common elements. Try to mentally answer the following ten questions:

1. Do you often have attacks of fever?
2. Do you complain about a rash, herpes, or lichen?
3. Do you feel enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin?
4. Constant fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea - is this about you?
5. Does your skin suffer from fungal infections?
6. Do you complain of candidiasis (burning of the genital organ, white coating in the same places, painful sex and urination)?
7. One of the most obvious true companions of AIDS is Kaposi's sarcoma. Do you have any strange, even painless tumors?
8. Are you watching? light spots in the language oral cavity?
9. Are you experiencing suspicious weight loss not related to diets and exercise?
10. Do wounds, even the smallest ones, take too long to heal?

If you answer yes to at least a third of these questions, if we were you, we would already go get checked. And point 7 alone is enough to get tested for AIDS immediately.

Of course, people who look completely healthy can turn out to be HIV carriers. Only a certified test will provide a guarantee. However, if you have no symptoms and you are not in the risk group, then you can sleep soundly and think only about good things. But know this: if you get checked, you are guaranteed to sleep twice as soundly!

To find out whether a person has AIDS, you need to understand the causes of its occurrence and symptoms.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This virus is very dangerous because it destroys protective system body. She can't resist anymore various infections, bacteria.

Methods of transmission of AIDS

This virus can only be transmitted through blood. For example, during unprotected birth, during childbirth from an infected mother to a child, during blood transfusions (if the blood was infected). This only happens in rare cases. If a person needed blood immediately and it was transfused directly from the donor to the patient.

This dangerous virus is never transmitted through:

Houseware,
Handshake,
Visiting common areas
Insect and animal bites.

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This is the most severe stage of the disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. Many people think that HIV and AIDS are the same disease. Only this is not entirely true. HIV can exist in the body for a long time without showing any symptoms. The person will feel good and look fairly healthy. It can take many years before HIV progresses to the AIDS stage. To prevent this from happening, you need to carefully monitor your health. If you have been diagnosed with HIV, treatment should begin immediately.

Is it possible to cure the disease?

Everyone should know that this virus cannot be completely cured. You can only stop the course of the disease, which will allow a person to exist normally and live for many more years if you carefully approach his treatment. No one is immune from HIV. Any disease, even something as simple as the flu, can turn into HIV if it has been incorrect treatment or there was none at all.

HIV infection attacks the immune system, making it vulnerable to various types viruses and infections.

To combat the disease, you need to visit a doctor and find out at what stage the disease is in order to begin treatment.

A person can understand that he has AIDS only in the most extreme cases. Because the virus usually behaves asymptomatically. Only when acute stage disease, you can understand that you are infected with AIDS.

First but minor signs of illness

The very first signs of the disease are vague and it is very difficult to understand the disease. A person experiences redness on the skin in the form of small spots, suffers from diarrhea, a taste of iron appears in the mouth, increases up to 38 degrees and lasts for about several weeks.

People usually don’t pay attention to these symptoms, because they can easily be confused with the flu or common cold. They go by very quickly. And this can only mean that the infection is spreading further. If it is HIV infection.

The human immunodeficiency virus can exist in the body asymptomatically even for up to 12 years. This is the time during which HIV degenerates into the AIDS stage if treatment has not been prescribed.

If signs appear in the form of inflammation of the lymph nodes, then they occur throughout the body:

In the groin
On the neck.

It’s difficult not to notice them, but some still don’t notice or don’t want to notice.

The main ones are quite frequently occurring diseases: tuberculosis, pneumonia, herpes, cytomegalovirus infection and many others. These diseases lead to very severe consequences, even death. This stage disease and is called AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

IN severe cases progress of the disease, the patient cannot even take care of himself. His family does this at home.

Despite the fact that a cure for HIV has not yet been invented, a person can delay the development of AIDS by long term, if he finds out about his illness in time and fully follows all the doctor’s recommendations.

AIDS is a terrible disease of our time. It identifies various diseases occurring in the human body. Infections strike internal organs, weakening the immune system. An accurate diagnosis can be determined by conducting research laboratory method. Doctors - specialists can tell for sure whether there is HIV and AIDS in the body or not. But the symptoms external manifestations easy to determine yourself.

Symptoms of the disease

Changes general condition And appearance infected. For others, a sharp change in weight downwards, a sharp manifestation of weakness, and a fever that appears for no reason becomes noticeable.

Change in stool quality. Constant diarrhea is a sign of HIV and AIDS.
Availability skin diseases. Ulcers, unpleasant spots, purulent blisters are present on the skin. Warts appear on the body, which the patient cannot remove.
Skin diseases of the legs. Foot fungus affects the nails, feet and entire lower limbs. Nails change color, break, change shape.
Increase colds, pneumonia.
Formation of unknown tumors. Are increasing The lymph nodes. The tumor appears behind the ears, on the neck, under the chin, in groin area, under and above the collarbone.
HIV and AIDS changes the behavior of the infected person due to its effects on the brain. The patient cannot control his behavior or concentrate. Memory functionality decreases. A person becomes unable to learn a small simple poem by heart.
Changes in mood. In a person infected with HIV, AIDS most often bad condition spirit, he is dissatisfied with himself and everyone around him. All simple requests become a problem of the highest quality.

Any symptom can be considered a signal to see a doctor. Early detection of the stage of the disease is an opportunity to be cured. Checking the blood full analysis will be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Doctors will check the number of cells feeding the immune system. They will check and be able to determine what disease has settled in the human body.

How to determine AIDS

Changing the level of immunity leads to the manifestation of various diseases. A weakened body cannot resist viruses that are healthy condition can be easily done even without medical care medical supplies. The situation is changing. Any disease becomes terrible and dangerous.

The moment of infection and the moment of detection are sometimes separated by years, but these years do not pass without a trace for the weakened body. Install accurate diagnosis possible using laboratory tests, research and verification.

What is required to establish an accurate diagnosis:

Detection of the presence of HIV and AIDS antibodies in the body.
Determination of the presence of RNA virus.
Accurate counting of the number of lymphocytes in the blood, the percentage of their deviation from the norm.

Recommendations for people infected with HIV about the first manifestations

HIV detection is very difficult process, it can last for several years. The virus is detected in a person positive for HIV after determining the composition of blood components. You need to take a closer look different manifestations illnesses, including feces. Long-term diarrhea, causeless fever, frequent weakness, sudden weight loss may be symptoms terrible disease.

The human body ceases to resist diseases. The first signs appear on the skin: spots, ulcers, warts. One of the diseases that affects humans is foot fungus.

Decreased immunity leads to frequent colds.
The appearance of diseases in the oral cavity: thrush.
The tongue and inner surfaces of the cheeks become covered with white ulcers or plaques.
Herpes prolapse on the face;
Increased incidence of laryngitis;
The gums begin to bleed, this is especially noticeable in the morning;
Skin bleeding and decreased clotting become noticeable.

Possibilities of disease transmission

A disease that has no analogues, is complex in its course and treatment, can be acquired in various ways:

Sexual intercourse of any type: vaginal, oral, anal.
Infection through the blood of an infected person (syringe, needle, transfusion, contact with opened wounds).
Genital fluids. They are especially dangerous for babies during pregnancy.

Inability to become infected in the following cases:

Simple contact;
Staying close to the patient, communicating with him.
Exchanging hugs or crying together;
Through salivation.

You need to know for sure: HIV and AIDS do not cause death. They die from other diseases that the virus allows into the body, and it, weakening, ceases to resist.

Research into the disease and search for treatment options

Medical sources cannot find drugs to treat and destroy the virus that has entered human body. All experiments and experiences do not yield results in finding a remedy that can drive out the infection. Currently, there are only drugs that slow down the progress of immune system.

The entire therapy system is aimed at reducing viral cells. Their development can be delayed. Medicine help preserve lymphocytes, which support cell resistance to viruses and infections.

Doctors continually continue to study the nature of HIV AIDS, hoping to find a solution to the problem; they either come close to it, announce the emergence of miracle cures, including those made at home, or again slide far back, recognizing the victory of painful viruses over the works of medical geniuses. It can be considered that the main step in preventing the disease is warning about acquiring the virus through unknown sexual relations and dirty syringes.

Stages of infection development

V.I. Pokrovsky developed a classification of development and divided the course of the disease into stages in 1989.

Incubator development stage. The settlement of the virus in the body, its reaction to external manifestations. The duration of the period is not defined, it is individual in each specific case, is not repeated and is not subject to analysis. One can only guess its duration, it is impossible to determine exactly.
Primary signs of lymphadenopathy. The form of manifestation of symptoms is febrile, acute, asymptomatic.
Latent stage. Time of destruction of lymphocytes by the virus. It can last from 2 years to 20 years. It all depends on the body’s resistance, the level of its internal security, and strength.
Terminal outcome stage. The disease wins, the body stops defending itself, and that’s it secondary infections become incurable.
Active manifestation stage side diseases. Stage bright manifestation signs of HIV/AIDS.

Weight reduction;
Deterioration of the nervous system;
Increase in infectious diseases;
Skin manifestations of infections and viruses;
Damage to mucous membranes and respiratory organs.

Manifestations of the disease

Signs of HIV become noticeable from the second stage of the disease. They are characterized acute form, febrile course, incomprehensible sharp symptoms.

joint pain, headaches, throat infections;
Pain in the eyes, changes in vision;
Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, groin, armpits;
Intoxication: vomiting reflex, diarrhea;
Constantly elevated temperature body – 37.5;
Weight loss: sharp and independent of food consumption;
Ulcerative manifestations on the skin;
Heavy sensations in bright light, desire for twilight.

You need to be careful about your health; illness can be avoided or detected in time.

Surely every adult knows. Unfortunately, humanity has not yet come up with methods of treatment of this disease. In order to avoid problems, you need to know how HIV is transmitted. Many people think that the infection spreads through the air. This opinion is wrong. Doctors give a clear answer in what situations you need to sound the alarm. We'll talk about this in more detail in the article.

How did HIV appear?

Many scientists are still arguing where it came from. this infection. Its origin is not exactly known. IN Lately Doctors are inclined to believe that monkeys were to blame. The first case of infection was identified in a hunter who was butchering dead monkeys. But the thing is that this virus was not detected in the blood of these animals. There are similar cells, but still not the same. Perhaps the virus simply mutated in human blood and people learned about such a terrible disease as AIDS.

Today there is a version that the disease was created artificially in secret laboratories. And prepared like a weapon mass destruction.

In fact, it is not so important where the virus originated, the main thing is to know how HIV is contracted. International conferences and lectures are held annually, at which answers to this question are given in detail. Among other things, in school curriculum The topic of biology lessons devoted to this problem is necessarily included. Children should also know everything about this disease to minimize the risk of infection.

Routes of HIV infection

Many people ask doctors how they become infected with HIV? It’s strange, but in the 21st century not all adults know the answer to this question. This is sad. After all, their health depends on knowledge. So, there are several ways of infection:

Sex without condoms. Remember, no pills, suppositories, or spirals can protect you from the virus.

Through blood. This method is called parenteral. Drug addicts who use the same needle are at risk.

Through the mother's placenta to the unborn child. Doctors call it the vertical method. There are cases when infection of the baby can be avoided. This happens if a pregnant woman drinks necessary medications during all 9 months of gestation. Natural childbirth in this case are prohibited, it is only assumed C-section. Breast-feeding also unacceptable.

Blood transfusion. Cases of infection are extremely rare.

From the patient to the doctor. This happens during operating rooms or other surgical interventions, and only in cases where the infected person does not notify about his illness. Fortunately, such cases are rare, since medical staff always wear gloves and know the safety precautions.

After reading the above information, you will probably be able to answer the question: “How do people become infected with HIV?”

Be careful

Lectures and lectures are held annually in high schools open lessons on the topic of AIDS. And this is not done by chance. It is important that teenagers know how people become infected with HIV.

In most cases, this happens during unprotected sexual intercourse. The fact is that the infection is contained in large quantities in male sperm and on the lining of the uterus. Moreover, if one of the partners has microcracks in the mucous membrane, infection will occur in 95%. The only protection in this case is condoms. Moreover, they must be of high quality, not expired, famous brands. You should not choose the ultra-thin series. The density should be maximum.

It is better not to have sex with unverified partners in case of any gynecological diseases and with cervical erosion. At the same time, the risk of infection is as high as possible. The same applies to anal sex. The walls of the anus are so thin that microcracks cannot be avoided. This explains why many homosexuals suffer from HIV infection.

There are many versions on this matter. Some believe that the virus was created artificially to become a weapon of mass destruction against humanity. Whatever it really is, not a single laboratory in the world has a vaccine that would help cure a patient.

Of course, pharmaceuticals have made great strides forward; there are medications that help prolong the lives of HIV patients. They help maintain the body and improve immunity. But this, unfortunately, will only help prolong life, and not cure the disease.

How to keep children safe?

Anyone who has read the article knows how HIV is transmitted. Should we tell children and teenagers about this? Without a doubt. After all, their lives depend on the information they receive. You should know that this disease incurable.

It would seem, how can small children become infected? Elementary. And such cases are not uncommon. The fact is that drug addicts often gather in public gardens where children walk. Leaving their syringes with needles in bushes, sandboxes, on swings, they do not understand what serious danger and food can be brought to children. After all, kids are interested in new objects, they start playing with them with pleasure, unaware of the danger.

The task of parents is to closely monitor their children on the playgrounds. If a syringe is suddenly found, carefully dispose of it. If your baby has been injected, you must be tested for the presence of the virus in the blood.

This information is also important for teenagers. It is necessary that they know how they become infected. It is not for nothing that schools hold open lessons to study and discuss this topic. Those supporters who believe that such lectures are unacceptable for schoolchildren because they are still too young are wrong.

Briefly about the main thing

As a conclusion, I would like to once again recall how HIV infection is acquired:

Through blood.

During unprotected sexual intercourse when one of the partners is sick.

From mother to child, through breast milk, placenta and natural childbirth.

All of these routes of infection can be avoided. You just need to follow the safety precautions:

Take care of your health, remember - this is the most valuable thing you have. Unfortunately, AIDS is incurable. Scientists around the world are working on a vaccine, but so far to no avail. Therefore, follow basic safety measures and enjoy life to the fullest.

People have known about HIV and AIDS for a long time. Testing today in order to detect infection is prescribed almost everywhere to people, both when undergoing routine medical examination, and in cases of suspected tuberculosis, tonsillitis, development viral infection V respiratory tract herpes, autoimmune disease, lupus erythematosus, renal failure and even arthritis. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome due to damage to the body by infections leads to severe suppression of the immune system, when the immune system is no longer able to fight viruses.

It is worth understanding how people die from AIDS, because it is not from taking toxic drugs in large doses, but from developing malignant tumor in the body: melanomas, gliomas, Kaposi's sarcoma, when modern methods Therapy and the strongest medications can no longer cope with ailments and the ending is tragic. The risk group includes people who lead an unhealthy lifestyle: drug addicts, prostitutes, homosexuals, purposefully destroying the immune system with their lifestyle. A sick person becomes socially dangerous and potentially infectious to the surrounding society. The virus lives in the body, but remains unnoticeable for a long time and appears at first, like my usual cold, when the temperature rises at times, and there is a sore throat.

At the last stage HIV infection The immune system is already able to suppress malignancy and metastasis of cells in the body.

How does AIDS develop?

The disease is staged, the degree of development directly depends on the number of titers and antibodies produced to HIV in the body.

At the first stage, the immune system is still coping with viruses and the symptoms are vague. There are occasional headaches, fever, skin rashes, and swollen lymph nodes.
At the second stage, as the concentration of the virus accumulates, cells throughout the body undergo mutation, the immune system begins an active fight and takes control of almost the entire state of the body, but is severely destroyed by the HIV-infected cells produced. Antibodies to HIV are produced in large quantities, but at the same time there is activation of free particles outside the cells.
In the third stage, the immune system is still actively fighting the infection, but the viruses multiply much faster and full recovery cd4 cells even if HIV is completely eliminated from the body is no longer possible. Despite the infection, there may be no symptoms and the person feels well. When examining a blood test, the level of CD4 lymphocytes in the blood is not significantly abnormal.
At the fourth stage, a gradual destruction of the immune system is observed, lymphocytes enter into activity and begin intensive production in large quantities, which are quite sufficient to destroy the pathogenesis. But viruses progress, their numbers grow exponentially, and the patient’s underlying disease becomes chronic stage. Observed severe exhaustion immune system and a sharp decline CD4 lymphocytes in the blood. Level healthy cells no longer reaches more than 200 in 1 liter of blood. An HIV carrier becomes more sick with AIDS when they begin to manifest themselves. primary symptoms against the background of excessive destruction of the immune system.
The fifth stage is thermal, the most dangerous and fraught fatal. The duration can reach ten years. The patient gradually but inevitably:

loses weight
undergoes constant chronic weakness, fatigue, the appearance of black spots and bruises on the body, formed even from the slightest touch and no longer capable of regeneration.

During the examination, blood counts were almost completely disturbed. If you don't carry out special treatment urgently, the life expectancy will be 1-3 years. Although even at the thermal stage of AIDS, the level of CD4 lymphocytes in the blood may remain normal. Even an HIV-infected person, if properly treated, can live more than 10 years, while remaining unnoticed by others and not dangerous in the transmission of infection. by everyday means. The patient is an HIV carrier and infection is possible only through any biological fluid, blood.

Main features

The signs become more noticeable only at the last terminal stage AIDS, when, against the background of a completely destroyed immune system, the immune system can no longer cope with the impending disease. Death from AIDS can occur within 2 weeks. Doctors no longer give a 2-3 year survival prognosis. Irreversible processes begin to occur in the body. Positive dynamics and improvement are possible from time to time general well-being in patients. Even skin color is normalized, appetite and sleep improve. It seems that AIDS has been defeated for some time, but even timely antiretroviral therapy cannot completely expel all viruses from the body.

Symptoms appear more pronounced when additional pneumonia or tuberculosis in the lungs occurs in severe form, when:

non-healing ulcers appear on the skin, the body is completely covered with red spots and the skin simply peels off,
difficulty breathing,
cough disappears, accompanied by mucus and blood,
Internal bleeding may occur.

Thermal stage

The thermal form of immunodeficiency leads to brain damage, a decrease in a person’s ability to think, and changes in physiological characteristics. With immunodeficiency, a brain abscess can occur at any time, and the consequences, namely death from HIV, are already irreversible.

In fact, a sufficient amount of time and even years pass from the moment of infection, many until the immune system is completely suppressed. Individual characteristics Each person is different, and AIDS sometimes takes a long time to manifest itself. However, in the last (thermal) stage the symptoms are:

the face, in particular around the eyes and nose, becomes covered with black spots,
non-healing ulcers affect the legs with gradual spread throughout the body,
purulent and bleeding ulcers appear if there is concomitant disease, for example, syphilis, tuberculosis, gonorrhea. The patient's nose and Adam's apple can be seen condensing. Weak immunity simply unable to fight the invasion of a rapidly developing infection, and death is inevitable. There is a lot available on the Internet different photos and clearly shows how people die from HIV.

Of course, when providing qualified medical services. Helping people with HIV at the last stage can delay death from HIV. Strengthened antiviral therapy, painkillers narcotic drugs. But, last stage AIDS leads to damage to large areas not only on the skin, but also to the death of the retina of the eyes, and therefore loss of vision.

AIDS is a disease where even a minor infection or cold can become fatal. The disease cannot be cured even with the latest effective drugs. It is no longer possible to correct immunodeficiency in the fifth period. The affected cells are no longer subject to restoration and regeneration. There is no reason why numerous scratches, bruises, abrasions, and bleeding erosions appear on the body that cannot be healed. The patient complains of aching joints and hair loss as a result of chemotherapy.

Lethality is obvious

An infectious disease doctor, when prescribing treatment for an HIV-infected patient, can, of course, provide a delay in death when prescribing therapy. If the patient does not refuse hospitalization in time and undergo treatment in a specialized AIDS clinic, then life expectancy may increase by up to 3-5 years. But, unfortunately, not all sick people want to be treated, exposing themselves to the slow coming of death, and it’s simply scary to watch how painfully they die from AIDS.

Patients should receive antiretroviral therapy annually.

What do AIDS patients actually die from?

It’s a myth when people think about whether it’s possible to die from AIDS. This is not entirely true. But the toxic drugs administered are a time bomb. There are cases when, upon diagnosis of HIV, the patient immediately began treatment, but the condition still worsened, but after stopping the medication it improved again. It is AIDS medications that lead to the complete destruction and suppression of the immune system, when people stop giving an adequate assessment of everything that happens in real life.

In fact, it is not AIDS that kills a person, but chemotherapy drugs that enter the body in large doses during the treatment of tuberculosis, pneumonia, intestinal infection. In addition, constant vaccinations, poor nutrition, and intake of harmful substances can provoke the development of the last progressive stage. food additives, frequent stress, troubles in life, depression, fatigue, alcohol abuse, smoking. The immune system is suppressed and further - unpleasant symptoms and manifestations of AIDS.

Many residents of megacities today suffer in one way or another from disorders of the immune system. A hectic lifestyle and a frantic pace do not leave time for people to pay attention to their health. But it is tuberculosis that often becomes and leads to fatal outcome in sick people HIV infection and AIDS. Pulmonary pathology leads to respiratory failure, cytomegalovirus infection manifests, progresses, and the patient is diagnosed with liver cirrhosis due to the development viral hepatitis C. People have been dying from AIDS for the past 2 years.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has been known for a long time. But it is not AIDS that kills people, but diseases that progress against the background of immunodeficiency: cytomegalovirus, cirrhosis of the liver, tuberculosis, pneumonia.