In 1983, the human immunodeficiency virus was first detected . HIV infection can be in the body for a sufficiently long time before it passes into the final stage of development - into AIDS. In an adult with good immunity, the incubation stage of the disease usually lasts 8-10 years. During this period, the virus gradually destroys the immune system, and in the end the body becomes incapable of resisting other infections. During the incubation period, a person can quite easily tolerate many diseases, but gradually his immunity works worse and worse. It is very difficult to notice the first signs of HIV infection, since this disease has almost no symptoms.
The main channels for the spread of HIV are sexual contacts, blood transfusions and non-compliance with sanitary standards in medical institutions. The virus is not viable in the environment. HIV dies quickly when boiled and when exposed to any chemically active disinfectant reagents.
Specialized laboratories and AIDS centers conduct tests that detect HIV antibodies. However, a negative result of such tests does not guarantee the absence of HIV infection in the body. Therefore, doctors recommend re-testing after 3-6 months.
As a rule, the first symptoms of HIV appear a few weeks after infection. These symptoms are almost always attributed to the flu or the common cold. A person rises body temperature, a sore throat, lymph nodes increase. Then begins a latent asymptomatic period, which lasts from 2 months to 20 years. And only after this, various infections and malignant tumors progress in patients.
Typical symptoms of HIV infection are weight loss, chronic colds and diarrhea, loss of muscle tissue, and frequent headaches. Often this disease is accompanied by visual impairment, shortness of breath, pain in the chest area. The first symptoms of HIV are sometimes expressed in herpes, periodontal diseases, inflammation of the mucous membrane in the oral cavity. This includes various condylomas, papillomas. Quite often, HIV is accompanied by pneumonia or tuberculosis, as well as viral hepatitis.
In drug addicts, the first symptoms of HIV are usually most noticeable. Such people are more likely to suffer from tuberculosis and pneumonia, face heart damage.
For infants to whom the infection has passed through the mother’s body, the first symptoms of HIV are fatal, as the human immune system only strengthens by the age of 6-15 months.
The presence of this infection in the body is not a sentence. Many people live with this diagnosis until old age, regularly undergoing treatment, communicate with people and do not despair. The life expectancy of an HIV-infected person depends on many factors. Not least are age, the state of human health, bad habits and somatic diseases. In our country, there are special communities of people diagnosed with HIV, forums where patients support each other and share tips. The psychological mood of a person is of great importance. As a rule, the disease progresses faster in someone who lives with the thought of an imminent death, does not get out of depression and is closed from the outside world. Recently, specialists have found methods of treating HIV, significantly prolonging the lives of patients and giving them hope for a complete cure. Favorable climate conditions affect the patients, the presence of loved ones who are ready to support, no matter what, and the thirst for life.
To protect yourself from becoming infected with HIV, do not use drugs, do not visit dubious medical facilities and do not have sexual intercourse with unfamiliar people. It is better to deny yourself once again a little pleasure than to hear this terrible diagnosis once.