The first HIV syndromes. The first signs of AIDS and stages, how to determine the disease at home

The body's immune defense is a reliable barrier that protects it from pathogens.

However, there is a virus that can break through this system or destroy it completely.

One of these is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In order to start therapy on time, it is important to know what the signs of HIV are in women in the early stages. Timely antiretroviral therapy reduces the risk of developing the extreme stage of infection - AIDS - hundreds of times and prolongs the patient's life to 70 - 80 years.

HIV disease occurs as a result of human infection with an immunodeficiency virus or, in other words, a retrovirus. The virus destroys immune cells, causing the body to lose the ability to protect itself from pathogenic microorganisms. HIV is classified into types (HPV-1 and HPV-2), groups and subtypes.

For a long time, the disease has no clear distinctive features that would directly indicate HIV infection. This can lead to the patient finding out about the infection too late, when the immune defense is so damaged that it can no longer be restored.

It does not survive in the external environment, so HIV cannot be transmitted through the air, through touch, household objects, etc. The only method of transmission is the exchange of body fluids between people. Infection occurs through blood, semen, breast milk, pre-seminal fluid, and vaginal secretions.

Routes of infection can be:

• injection syringes;
• tools used to make tattoos or piercings;
• any type of unprotected sex;
• breast-feeding;
• contact of infected fluid with open wounds;
• blood transfusion.

The virus cannot penetrate the skin because it does not have cells into which it can invade. Insect bites, saliva or tears are also not routes of infection. Any person is afraid of a terrible virus. Representatives of the fair sex show particular concern, as they are more emotional than men.

Therefore, many of them are interested in the question of how to recognize signs of HIV in women in the early stages. And this is correct, because timely therapy helps preserve immune cells by blocking the multiplication of the virus.

It is extremely difficult to detect HIV disease in its early stages. This is due to the fact that viruses destroy immune cells, the death of which does not cause the usual symptoms: pain, swelling or fever. However, there are distinctive signs, upon noticing which, a woman should get tested for HIV.

1. Symptoms that are characteristic of a cold: cough, sore throat and other manifestations may indicate activation of the retrovirus.
2. Severe fatigue, which does not go away even after proper rest, can accompany many illnesses. However, it is worth noting this symptom and, if possible, undergoing testing to exclude HIV disease.
3. Frequent dyspeptic symptoms can be a sign of HIV in women in the early stages. You should pay attention to daily bowel movements, nausea or vomiting.
4. As a result of the destructive activity of the retrovirus, an increase in lymph nodes is observed. The cervical lymph nodes change especially strongly, and in the groin and armpits this symptom is less pronounced.
5. If ulcers on the genitals or in the mouth are added to the listed symptoms, then you should be more seriously wary.

HIV can manifest itself more clearly by increased body temperature, cramping pain, increased sweating, lack of appetite, etc. All of these symptoms are similar to other viral infections caused by rotavirus, influenza virus or enterovirus. If such signs appear unexpectedly and also disappear, then it is better not to neglect checking your blood for HIV.

Distinctive signs of HIV that are observed in women in the early stages

The main symptoms of the presence of a retrovirus in the body are characteristic of any person, regardless of gender.

However, there are signs that can only be found in women, in particular:

• sudden weight loss (in later stages - anorexia);
• the appearance of ulcers and warts on the genitals;
• heavy sweating;
• pathological changes in the cervix;
• painful menstruation;
• frequent genitourinary infections.

The combination of several signs, for example, enlarged lymph nodes, pain in the lower abdomen during menstruation, heavy vaginal discharge, frequent diarrhea and loss of energy is a serious reason to be tested for HIV disease.

Symptoms of HIV in women in the early stages of the disease

The symptoms of the disease directly depend on the state of the person’s immune system at the time of infection.

The virus can remain latent for several years, but more often it becomes active after one or two months. Symptoms of HIV in women depend on the stage of the disease.

The early stages are divided into two periods, during which time the infection can still be treated and the symptoms are minor.

At the third stage of disease development, symptoms manifest themselves more intensely. The late stage is characterized by the complete destruction of immune defense and the addition of many secondary infections.

Stages of development of the immunodeficiency virus:

1. The period of incubation maturation of the virus. The duration of this stage of the disease varies from one month to one year. At this time, the virus actively spreads throughout the body, but does not show activity against immune cells.
2. Primary stage. The beginning of this period is preceded by the appearance of antibodies to HIV. This stage takes from seven to ten years. The virus attacks immune cells, which is manifested by enlarged lymph nodes, an increase in infectious diseases, gastrointestinal disorders and other symptoms.
3. Progressive stage. During this period, the immune system is already in a phase of exhaustion. The number of associated bacterial and viral infections increases. At an advanced stage, cancer can be detected.
4. Immunodeficiency syndrome. The period is characterized by extensive damage to all organs. Symptoms of AIDS can be seen even in photographs, since the entire skin is covered with spots and rashes, and the mucous membranes are covered with a white coating. No cure for AIDS has yet been found. Due to the fact that the immune system is completely destroyed, the person quickly dies.

Symptoms of HIV in women in the early stages during the development of the virus may not manifest themselves. If the immune system is weakened, symptoms similar to a cold occur.

An infected person may suffer from diarrhea, sore throat accompanied by swelling of the tonsils, and chills. Various rashes are possible on the skin. Such phenomena are short-term in nature, and the patient often confuses them with a common cold. At the early stage of the second period, the symptoms of HIV in women may also be unclear.

The disease may be accompanied by the following phenomena:

• periodic rise in temperature in the absence of other signs of disease;
• severe weakness, apathy or depression;
• frequent colds;
• violation of movement coordination;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• frequent exacerbations of herpes;
• loss of body weight;
• increased sweating;
• systematic disturbance of stool;
• muscle and joint pain;
• constant dry cough.

Symptoms of HIV in women early in the second stage of the disease often concern the reproductive system. If at this time a woman becomes infected with sexually transmitted infections, they are difficult to cure. The same applies to inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system. In women, HIV can cause hormonal imbalances.

The menstrual cycle becomes unstable, accompanied by pain, and heavy bleeding is possible. After ten years of virus activity, the immune system weakens so much that various infections can be present in a woman’s body at the same time: fungal, bacterial, viral and others.

The diseases are practically not cured, which characterizes the onset of the development of AIDS. Diagnosing HIV disease in the early stages is very important. The state of a person’s immune system will depend on this, since after the drugs are prescribed, viruses will stop actively multiplying and destroying immune cells. In Russia, HIV infection is diagnosed using ELISA tests or IB (immune blotting).

Additionally, other methods can be used - rapid tests and PCR. It is difficult to diagnose the infection in the early stages. If a doctor suspects that a woman may have retroviruses in her body, then even if the test result is negative, he can register her. The woman needs to visit a doctor and have her blood tested again.

Mandatory tests:

• ELISA test systems. The first diagnosis is performed by a screening test (ELISA). For this purpose, blood is taken from a vein (5 ml) from the patient. Blood sampling is carried out in the morning, on an empty stomach. This test detects antibodies to the virus, but does not determine the presence of the viral agent itself. Since the incubation period of viruses varies (from 2 to 6 weeks), the test may not reveal anything soon after infection. Therefore, it is recommended to take it no earlier than 3 weeks after the suspected infection.
• Immunoblotting. This test is performed only after a positive screening test result. To carry it out, blood is also taken from a vein, then serum with antibodies to HIV is separated from the resulting material and the liquid is applied to a special strip. If antibodies bind to antigens that were previously placed on the strip, then the virus is definitely present in the body. The information security result is 100% correct.

Treatment of HIV disease

A patient with HIV infection is prescribed antiretroviral therapy. Modern drugs stop the processes of suppression of the immune system by blocking the introduction of virions into cells, preventing them from multiplying.

The doctor may prescribe one of the drugs: Zidovudine, Didanosine or Nevirapine. There are other analogues of antiretroviral drugs. Treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a physician, since viral agents are able to adapt to different chemicals and changes in the treatment regimen may be required. In addition, such medications have serious side effects, so you should not purchase HIV medications on your own. Once prescribed medication, a person must take the pills for the rest of his life.

Russia has a program to provide those in need with such medicines, but there are not always enough of them. Therefore, you need to be prepared for the fact that you will need to buy medicines. In addition to basic therapy, a woman should strengthen her immune system in all available ways. Eat right, treat diseases in a timely manner, take vitamins and lead an active lifestyle.

Symptoms of AIDS in women in the early stages and how it differs from HIV

The progressive stage of HIV infection turns into AIDS. Some people confuse these two concepts. HIV is a virus that kills cells of the immune system and causes AIDS - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This diagnosis is made when a person develops opportunistic diseases, that is, those that the immune system of a healthy person can easily cope with on its own.

AIDS stands for as follows:

• syndrome - a number of symptoms characterizing any pathological condition;
• acquired - indicates that the person was infected with an infection from the outside;
• immune - related to human immunity;
• deficiency - means lack, lack of immune cells.

Symptoms of AIDS in women in the early stages are already acute, since most of the immune cells have died, and the rest cannot cope with numerous infections. Women often suffer from colds, inflammatory, infectious and fungal diseases.

They develop diseases that did not exist during the normal functioning of the body’s defense system. From the moment HIV infection progresses to the stage of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a woman’s life expectancy is a maximum of four years.

The symptoms of AIDS in women in the early stages are multiple, in particular, she suffers from:

• fungal diseases of the mucous membranes (candidiasis);
• chronic fatigue syndrome and prolonged depression;
• persistent diarrhea;
• mental disorders;
• weight loss, anorexia;
• papillomas and warts on the genitals;
• extensive damage to the mucous membranes by the herpes virus;
• infectious and inflammatory diseases that develop in different organs;
• oncological diseases.

There are a number of diseases that most often accompany AIDS. These are candidiasis, seborrheic dermatitis, Kaposi's sarcoma and herpes zoster.

• Candidiasis. Fungi affect any mucous membrane. With AIDS, traces of candida activity are especially noticeable in the woman’s mouth and lips.
• Seborrheic dermatitis. Affects all skin of a woman. The skin is blotchy and flaky.
• Kaposi's sarcoma. AIDS is more common than other skin diseases. With this disease, pink spots appear on the skin, which over time change color to brown and purple.
• Shingles. The disease can be inherited or occur with a significant decrease in immunity, that is, with AIDS. With this disease, skin rashes cause pain.

​The doctor explains how the first symptoms appear (video)

AIDS or HIV infection is a dangerous disease that is caused by It is characterized, first of all, by damage to the patient’s immune system and a variety of clinical manifestations (tumor processes and opportunistic diseases). The cause of this disease is retroviruses; to date, only two of them have been well studied: HIV-1 and HIV-2. There are several other variants of this pathogen in nature, but there is no reliable information about what they are and how they behave in relation to the human body.

What is HIV?

The first sign of this infection can be determined by the presence of a retrovirus in the blood. Retroviruses are characterized by pronounced lymphotropism, namely a preference for lymphocytes and cells of the immune system. HIV is highly variable - there are more than 1,000 mutations per gene, which is many times greater than the influenza virus. infections are found in T-lymphocytes and in other organs and tissues of the human body (macrophages, monocytes, Langerhans cells, megakaryocytes, eosinophils, neurons, intestinal epithelial cells). The virus is also found in the blood, semen, saliva, breast milk of HIV-infected mothers, and tear fluid.

HIV. The first sign of infection.

The duration of the incubation period for HIV infection can range from 4-6 months to 4 or more years; in the literature there is information about the incubation period of 15 years. So how can we first suspect that a person is infected with HIV? The first signs of infection may appear in the form of lymphadenopathy and fever (increased body temperature), such symptoms develop within 5-6 weeks after infection. It is customary to distinguish an average period between the appearance of specific antibodies in the blood and the development of the former; this period can be 7-10 years.

The first signs of HIV infection in men and women

1. Dramatic weight loss (by 10% or more in 6 months);
2. Fever lasting more than one month;
3. Chronic diarrhea for more than one month;
4. Generalized pruritic dermatitis;
5. Persistent cough;
6. Recurrent herpes zoster;
7. Oropharyngeal candidiasis;
8. Herpes simple or recurrent;
9. Generalized lymphadenopathy.

What should you pay attention to?

In some patients with suspected HIV, the first sign may be neurological symptoms: eye pain, photophobia, headache, signs of peripheral neuropathy and meningoencephalitis. This means that early damage to the nervous system has begun. In some cases, a spotty appearance like rubella or measles may appear, hair loss, and ulcers on the mucous membranes. Very often acute is confused with mononucleosis, toxoplasmosis, rubella and other infections. However, acute HIV infection tends to have an acute onset, unlike some forms of infectious mononucleosis, with ulceration and mild involvement of the tonsils.

The first signs of HIV infection are not a death sentence!

In any case, the first signs of HIV infection in women and men indicate trouble in the human body; they should be the first signal that the patient will have to undergo additional examination. However, the presence of several signs is not at all a guideline for making such a serious diagnosis as AIDS. To make such a diagnosis, the patient will be asked to undergo special testing, which is carried out both openly and anonymously, and only after several confirmed tests will a diagnosis be made. We should not forget that early diagnosis of the disease is one of the most important anti-epidemic measures, and timely prescribed antiviral therapy can significantly delay or prevent the development of AIDS.

HIV is the abbreviated name for the human immunodeficiency virus, i.e. a virus that attacks the immune system. HIV lives and multiplies only in the human body.

When infected with HIV, most people do not experience any sensations. Sometimes, a few weeks after infection, a flu-like condition develops (fever, skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea). For many years after infection, a person may feel healthy. This period is called the latent stage of the disease. However, it is wrong to think that nothing happens in the body at this time. When a pathogen, including HIV, enters the body, the immune system mounts an immune response. She tries to neutralize the pathogen and destroy it. To do this, the immune system produces antibodies. Antibodies bind to the pathogen and help destroy it. In addition, special white blood cells (lymphocytes) also begin to fight the pathogen. Unfortunately, when fighting HIV, all this is not enough - the immune system cannot neutralize HIV, and HIV, in turn, gradually destroys the immune system.

The fact that a person has become infected with a virus, i.e. becoming HIV-infected does not mean that he has AIDS. It usually takes a long time before AIDS develops (on average 10-12 years).

AIDS

The virus gradually destroys the immune system, reducing the body's resistance to infections. At a certain point, the body’s resistance becomes so low that a person can develop infectious diseases that other people practically do not get sick with or get sick extremely rarely. These diseases are called "opportunistic".

AIDS is spoken of when a person infected with HIV develops infectious diseases caused by the ineffective functioning of the immune system destroyed by the virus.

AIDS is the last stage of development of HIV infection.

AIDS – acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Syndrome- this is a stable combination, a set of several signs of the disease (symptoms).
Acquired- means that the disease is not congenital, but developed during life.
Immunodeficiency- a condition in which the body cannot resist various infections.

Thus, AIDS is a combination of diseases caused by insufficient functioning of the immune system due to its defeat by HIV.

Where did the virus come from?

Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question. There are only hypotheses. Each of them has its own justification, but in the scientific world they all continue to remain only assumptions - possible and, for some, very controversial versions of what happened.

The very first hypothesis about the origin of HIV is related to monkeys. It was expressed more than 20 years ago by the American researcher B. Corbett. According to this scientist, HIV first entered the human bloodstream in the 30s of the last century from chimpanzees - possibly through an animal bite or during the process of cutting up a carcass by a person. There are serious arguments in favor of this version. One of them is that a rare virus was actually found in the blood of chimpanzees, capable of causing a condition similar to AIDS when it enters the human body.

According to another researcher, Professor R. Garry, AIDS is much older: its history goes back from 100 to 1000 years. One of the most serious arguments confirming this hypothesis is Kaposi’s sarcoma, described at the beginning of the 20th century by the Hungarian doctor Kaposi as “a rare form of malignant neoplasm,” which indicated the presence of an immunodeficiency virus in the patient.

Many scientists consider Central Africa to be the birthplace of AIDS. This hypothesis, in turn, is divided into two versions. According to one of them, HIV has long existed in areas isolated from the outside world, for example, in tribal settlements lost in the jungle. Over time, as population migration increased, the virus broke out and began to spread rapidly. The second version is that the virus arose as a consequence of increased radioactive background, which was recorded in some areas of Africa rich in uranium deposits.

Relatively recently, another hypothesis appeared, belonging to the English researcher E. Hooper: the virus appeared in the early 50s of the twentieth century as a result of an error by scientists working on the creation of a polio vaccine. The mistake was that chimpanzee liver cells, supposedly containing a virus similar to HIV, were used to produce the vaccine. One of the strongest arguments in favor of this hypothesis is the fact that the vaccine was tested precisely in those areas of Africa where the highest level of infection with the immunodeficiency virus has been recorded to date.

Stages of development of HIV infection

Incubation period of HIV infection

The period from the moment of infection to the appearance of clinical manifestations of the disease. Lasts from 2 weeks to 6 or more months. At this stage, even testing may not detect the virus, but HIV infection can already be transmitted from the infected person to other people.

Stage of "Primary manifestations"

This stage may be asymptomatic or accompanied by fever, swollen lymph nodes, stomatitis, spotty rash, pharyngitis, diarrhea, enlarged spleen, and sometimes encephalitis. This usually lasts from a few days to 2 months.

Latent stage

The disease may not manifest itself in any way, but HIV continues to multiply (the concentration of HIV in the blood increases), and the body is no longer able to produce the required number of T-lymphocytes - their number slowly decreases. The latent stage can last from 2–3 to 20 or more years, on average 6–7 years.

Stage of secondary diseases

Due to the ongoing active increase in the concentration of the virus in the blood and the decrease in T-lymphocytes, the patient begins to develop various opportunistic diseases, which the immune system is no longer able to resist due to the rapidly decreasing number of T-lymphocytes.

End stage (AIDS)

The last and final stage of HIV infection. The number of protective cells (T-lymphocytes) reaches a critically low number. The immune system can no longer resist infections, and they quickly deplete the body. Viruses and bacteria affect vital organs, including the musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, digestive system, and brain. A person dies from opportunistic diseases that become irreversible. The AIDS stage lasts from 1 to 3 years.

Course and prognosis of HIV infection

When a person finds out that he has HIV infection or AIDS, the first questions he is most often asked are: “How long do I have to live?” and “How will my illness progress?”

Since HIV infection and AIDS progress differently for everyone, these questions cannot be answered unambiguously. But some general information can be highlighted.

People with HIV infection and AIDS these days are living much longer than before.

Treatment of HIV infection and AIDS is becoming increasingly successful. With treatment, people with HIV infection feel healthy for a longer period of time, and AIDS patients live longer and, compared to previous years, not only have fewer manifestations of the disease, but it is much easier.

At the beginning of the epidemic (1981-1986), AIDS developed in patients on average 7 years after infection with the virus. After this, the person could live for about another 8-12 months. Since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy in 1996, the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS have become much longer. Some people who develop AIDS may live 10 years or longer.

First of all, such progress is ensured by drugs that act on the virus itself - antiretroviral drugs.

Life is also extended due to the fact that with the help of combination therapy it is possible to prevent the development of many opportunistic infections, which are the direct cause of death in HIV infection.

The search for new treatment methods continues. There is no doubt that even more drugs effective in combating this infection will soon become available.

One of the most dangerous consequences of unprotected sex can be HIV infection (human immunodeficiency virus). The initial phase of the development of the disease has no symptoms, so a person may not even realize for a long time that he is a carrier of a dangerous virus, continuing to infect others. During the first months after infection, even comprehensive examination methods are not able to detect its presence in the body. When do the first signs of HIV appear in men?

The main ways of contracting HIV infection are:

• Unprotected sexual contact with a carrier of the infection.
• Transfusion of contaminated donor blood.
• Use of non-sterile medical instruments, including needles.
• Contact with an open wound of infected blood or other body fluid of the patient.
• The virus is transmitted from an infected mother to her newborn baby.

Candidate of Medical Sciences Evgeniy Olegovich Komarovsky talks about the routes of transmission of the virus:

Since the virus can be transmitted through biological fluids of the human body, there is a possibility of contracting HIV through oral sex. Especially if ejaculation occurred directly into the mouth, where there are wounds.

Due to the fact that HIV is transmitted at the moment of contact of mucous membranes, on which microtraumas can appear, you can become infected with it even if ejaculation does not occur.

At the same time, a man cannot become infected with HIV:

1. When shaking hands.
2. After a mosquito bite.
3. In contact with animals.

1. Through food, water and household items.
2. By airborne droplets (coughing, sneezing).
3. Through a half-smoked cigarette.

Features of infection in men

The first symptoms of HIV in men may appear just a few weeks after infection, or they may not be felt for many years. It depends on the individual characteristics of the male body.

After HIV enters a man’s body, it begins to destroy T-lymphocytes - cells that the immune system produces to protect against foreign microorganisms. Moreover, in some men, the virus, after entering the cell, can remain in an inactive state for up to 10 years, without revealing itself in any way.

Virus action scheme

Due to the fact that the man’s immune system is affected by the virus, it is unable to resist even the simplest infections. When a man is diagnosed with HIV, he is prescribed a course of immunomodulators that will help improve his general condition and eliminate its main manifestations. Additionally, the patient is prescribed medications that help normalize metabolism and stabilize the nervous system.

Timing of HIV manifestation

If a man carefully monitors the condition of his body, then after a few weeks he can notice the first signs of the disease, which include general malaise. However, many do not attach much importance to this symptom, assuming that it is a common cold. 1 month after infection, fever may accompany weakness. As a rule, it does not exceed 38 degrees. After 2 months, HIV enters the asymptomatic stage. This is due to the fact that the disease is often detected at later stages. How long it will take for HIV to make itself known depends on the individual characteristics of a particular man’s body. Sometimes it appears after a few months, and sometimes after a few years.

Venereologist Ekaterina Vyacheslavovna Makarova will tell you when to take tests to detect the disease:

How to find out about infection? The only way is to take a blood test. But one analysis may not be enough, since the incubation period of the disease, during which the virus is not detected in the laboratory, can be up to 6 months.

Main stages of development

There are 4 main stages in the development of HIV in a man.

Table 1. Stages of development of HIV infection

Symptoms of infection

Signs of HIV infection in a man and a woman who has contracted it are usually no different. After about 1-2 months, a man may feel the following symptoms:

• Changes in body temperature (uncharacteristic jumps).
• Constant chills.
• Very often a man notices muscle weakness or soreness.
• Enlarged lymph nodes.
• Headache.
• Increased sweating, especially at night.

• Indigestion (frequent diarrhea).
• Sore throat.
• Skin rash.
• Signs of thrush and mouth ulcers.
• Pain in the joint area.
• Impaired concentration.

An alarming symptom of HIV in a man is a rash on the body.

Table 2. Nature of the rash

In addition, the man constantly feels tired, and his physical activity decreases. Possible onset of depression. During palpation, the doctor will note an increase in the size of the liver.

It is important that when such signs of HIV infection appear in a man, immediately consult a doctor, undergo the necessary examination and begin treatment with antiviral drugs, without which life expectancy is significantly reduced.

As HIV develops in the body, symptoms and initial manifestations intensify. There is a constant aching pain in the joint area. After the lymph nodes are damaged, the infection begins to affect the internal organs (liver, spleen). Due to the inflammatory process in the esophagus, it is difficult for a man to eat.

The video describes the symptoms of the disease in men:

Over time, the symptoms of HIV in men in the early stages gradually disappear and the disease enters the latent phase. It is characterized by the absence of the main signs of the disease, despite the fact that organ destruction still occurs. The maximum period of the latent phase is no more than 10 years.

At the third stage of the disease, internal organs are seriously affected. The immune system is no longer able to resist virus cells. Symptoms of HIV are accompanied by signs of other emerging pathologies or even oncological processes. The following concomitant diseases are typical for men diagnosed with HIV:

1. Oral thrush.
2. Herpes.
3. Lichen.
4. Seborrhea.
5. Fungus on the hands or feet.

Moreover, the symptoms of these diseases in men manifest themselves acutely, which is not typical for healthy people. Any disease can cause various complications; it cannot be cured for a long period of time.

First category doctor Anna Viktorovna Maslennikova talks about the stages of the disease:

The last stage of HIV, when it turns into AIDS, is characterized by severe damage to internal organs. The immune system is not able to fight even a minor cold, so a man can die from absolutely any disease. The disease cannot be cured. The main therapy in this case will be aimed at relieving symptoms and alleviating the man’s condition. At this stage, the following concomitant pathologies may occur:

• Oncological neoplasms.
• Sarcoma.
• Cryptococcosis.
• Pneumonia.
• Tuberculosis.

In addition to the destruction of internal organs, the man suffers brain damage.

Treatment

It is impossible to cure the disease in men. However, if HIV is detected at the initial stages of development (regardless of the presence of symptoms) and treatment is started on time, then the patient has a chance to prolong his life.

As therapy, the patient is prescribed antiviral drugs, the main task of which is to slow down the development of the disease. In addition, he needs to take immunostimulating medications. Additionally, symptoms of concomitant pathologies are treated.

Probability of infection after 1 contact

There is an opinion that the chance of becoming infected with HIV after 1 contact with an infected partner is zero. However, it is not. Of course, for men this percentage is lower than for women, but it exists. The risk of infection increases if the partner has any damage (erosion) on the genitals, diseases that can be transmitted sexually or during menstruation.

If we talk about anal sex, then the risk of infection increases. This is due to the fact that the mucous membrane can be easily injured and may be covered with small cracks through which the virus certainly enters the body. This is due to the fact that a large number of infected men have non-traditional sexual orientation.

Prevention

Knowing how HIV is transmitted, doctors highlight some principles for its prevention:

1. Avoid casual sexual contact, and in case of contact, be sure to use barrier methods of contraception. This is important to do regardless of the type of sexual intercourse, since it has been proven that HIV can be transmitted not only through traditional, but also through anal or oral sex.
2. Avoid using used needles and syringes. Due to the neglect of this rule, there is a widespread spread of the disease among drug addicts who use one common syringe for injection.
3. It is important to always use disposable or sterile instruments during medical examinations or treatment. The same applies to beauty salons, where all equipment must be sterilized.

HIV infection is dangerous because it primarily affects a person’s immune system, as a result of which his body is unable to cope with even a common cold. In addition, HIV inevitably leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a disease that is incurable and leads to death within a short time.

In accessible words about the prevention of HIV infection. Lecture by Dr. Makarova:

The insidiousness of the virus lies in the fact that it is impossible to detect it on your own. Also, it may not produce characteristic symptoms for a long time, so a man may not realize that he is a carrier and continue to infect others during this time. Only special laboratory tests that were carried out several months after infection can detect the virus in the body, since earlier the result may turn out to be negative, despite its presence in the body. Therefore, it is important for every man from 18 to 45 years old who leads an active sexual life to donate blood approximately once a year for an HIV test.

The same is recommended to be done if uncharacteristic colds and other diseases appear that cannot be cured for a long time or symptoms characteristic of HIV appear. If the infection can be detected at the initial stage of its development, the man has every chance to prolong his life thanks to special antiviral therapy.

More than 20 years ago, an epidemic of the most terrible and incomprehensible viral disease of our time - AIDS - began in the world. Its contagiousness, rapid spread and incurability earned the disease the fame of the “plague of the twentieth century.”

History of origin

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is a fatal disease for which there is currently no cure.

Some scientists believe that the HIV virus was transmitted from monkeys to humans around 1926. Recent research suggests that humans acquired the virus in West Africa. Until the 1930s, the virus did not manifest itself in any way. In 1959, a man died in the Congo. Later research by doctors who analyzed his medical history showed that this may have been the first case of death from AIDS recorded in the world. In 1969, the first cases of the disease with symptoms of AIDS were recorded among prostitutes in the United States. Then doctors did not pay much attention to them, considering them a rare form of pneumonia. In 1978, symptoms of the same disease were found among homosexual men in the United States and Sweden, as well as among heterosexual men in Tanzania and Haiti.

It was only in 1981 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a new disease had been identified among young gay men in Los Angeles and New York. About 440 carriers of the HIV virus have been identified in the United States. About 200 of these people died. Since most of the patients were homosexuals, the new disease was called “Gay Related Immuno Deficiency (GRID)” or “A Gay Cancer.”

On June 5, 1981, an American scientist from the Center for Disease Control, Michael Gottlieb, first described a new disease that occurs with deep damage to the immune system. A thorough analysis led American researchers to the conclusion of the presence of a previously unknown syndrome, which in 1982 received the name Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrom (AIDS) - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). At the same time, AIDS was called the disease of four “Hs”, in capital letters of the English words - homosexuals, hemophiliacs, Haitians and heroin, thereby highlighting risk groups for the new disease.

Immune deficiency (decreased immunity), from which AIDS patients suffered, was previously encountered only as a congenital defect of premature newborns. Doctors found that in these patients, the decrease in immunity was not congenital, but was acquired in adulthood.

In 1983, the French scientist Montagnier established the viral nature of the disease. He discovered a virus in a lymph node removed from an AIDS patient, calling it LAV (lymphadenopathy associated virus).

On April 24, 1984, the director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland, Dr. Robert Gallo, announced that he had found the true cause of AIDS. He managed to isolate the virus from the peripheral blood of AIDS patients. He isolated a retrovirus called HTLV-III (Human T-lymphotropic virus type III). These two viruses turned out to be identical.

In 1985, it was discovered that HIV is transmitted through body fluids: blood, semen, and breast milk. In the same year, the first HIV test was developed, on the basis of which the USA and Japan began testing donated blood and its preparations for HIV.
In 1986, Montagnier's group announced the discovery of a new virus, which was named HIV-2 (HIV-2). A comparative study of the genomes of HIV-1 and HIV-2 showed that, in evolutionary terms, HIV-2 is far removed from HIV-1. The authors suggested that both viruses existed long before the modern AIDS epidemic. HIV-2 was first isolated in 1985 from AIDS patients in Guinea-Bissau and the Cape Verde Islands. Studies have shown that diseases caused by HIV-2 and HIV-1 are independent infections, since there are differences in the characteristics of the pathogens, clinical picture and epidemiology.

In 1987, the World Health Organization approved the name of the causative agent of AIDS - “human immunodeficiency virus” (HIV, or in the English abbreviation HIV).

In 1987, the WHO Global Program on AIDS was established and the World Health Assembly adopted a global strategy to combat AIDS. In the same year, the first antiviral drug, azidothymidine (zidovudine, retrovir), was introduced into the treatment of patients in a number of countries.

It must be emphasized that HIV and AIDS are not synonymous. AIDS is a broader concept and means immunity deficiency. This condition can occur as a result of a variety of reasons: chronic debilitating diseases, exposure to radiation energy, in children with defects in the immune system and in elderly patients with involution of immune defense, certain medications and hormonal drugs. Currently, the name AIDS is used to refer to only one of the stages of HIV infection, namely its manifest stage.

HIV infection is a new infectious disease, which before the discovery of its causative agent was called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV infection is a progressive anthroponotic infectious disease, with a blood-contact mechanism of infection, characterized by specific damage to the immune system with the development of severe immunodeficiency, which is manifested by secondary infections, malignant neoplasms and autoimmune processes.

Source HIV infection is a person with AIDS or an asymptomatic carrier of the virus. The main mechanism of infection transmission is blood contact. The disease is transmitted through sexual contact, especially homosexual; from an infected mother to a child during pregnancy through the placenta, during childbirth, during breastfeeding from mother to fetus; through razors and other sharp objects, toothbrushes, etc. HIV epidemiologists do not admit the existence of airborne and fecal-oral transmission routes, since the release of HIV from sputum, urine and feces is very insignificant, and the number susceptible cells in the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract.

There is also an artificial route of transmission: during therapeutic and diagnostic manipulations through the penetration of the virus through damaged skin, mucous membranes (transfusion of blood and its preparations, transplantation of organs and tissues, injections, operations, endoscopic procedures, etc.), artificial insemination, when administering drugs intravenously, performing various types of tattoos.

The risk group includes: passive homosexuals and prostitutes, who are more likely to suffer damage to the mucous membranes in the form of microcracks. Among women, the main risk group is drug addicts who inject drugs intravenously. Among sick children, 4/5 are children whose mothers have AIDS, are infected with HIV, or belong to known risk groups. The second place in frequency is occupied by children who have undergone blood transfusions, the third place is taken by patients with hemophilia, medical personnel who have professional contact with the blood and other biological fluids of HIV-infected patients.

The immunodeficiency virus can exist in the human body for ten to twelve years without showing itself in any way. And many people do not pay due attention to the initial signs of its manifestation, mistaking them for symptoms of other, at first glance, not dangerous diseases. If the treatment process is not started on time, the final stage of HIV - AIDS occurs. The immunodeficiency virus can become the basis for the development of other infectious diseases. Along with the risk of developing AIDS, the risk of other infectious diseases also increases.

Symptoms

The last stage - AIDS - occurs in three clinical forms: onco-AIDS, neuro-AIDS and infectious-AIDS. Onco-AIDS is manifested by Kaposi's sarcoma and brain lymphoma. Neuro-AIDS is characterized by various lesions of the central nervous system and peripheral nerves. As for infectious AIDS, it is manifested by numerous infections.

As HIV progresses to its final stage - AIDS - the symptoms of the disease become more obvious. People are increasingly being affected by various diseases, such as pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, herpes virus and other diseases called opportunistic infections. They are the ones that lead to the most severe consequences. At this time, the immunodeficiency virus becomes a serious disease. It happens that the patient’s condition is so serious that the person is not even able to get out of bed. Such people most often are not even subject to hospitalization, but are at home under the care of people close to them.

Diagnostics

The main method of laboratory diagnosis of HIV infection is the detection of antibodies to the virus using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Treatment

At the present stage of medical development, there is no medicine that can completely cure this disease. However, with timely initiation of HIV treatment, it is possible to postpone for a long time the transition of the immunodeficiency virus to the development of AIDS, and therefore prolong a more or less normal life for the patient.

Treatment regimens have already been developed that can significantly slow down the development of the disease, and since the infection lasts a long time in most cases, we can hope to create effective therapeutic agents during this time.