The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of HIV infection. The disease begins from the moment a person becomes infected and lasts until his death. The time from infection to the first signs is the incubation period of HIV.
Infection development
For HIV infection, development is characterized as a long-term course of the disease with increasing destruction of the immune system, which further leads to the development of oncological and opportunistic diseases.
The course of the disease includes several stages: the incubation period of HIV, the stage of early clinical manifestations, the latent stage, the stage of development of secondary diseases and the terminal period (AIDS).
A person infected with a virus is contagious at all stages of the development of the disease. But he poses a special danger during the acute course of the disease and during the final terminal stage. At this time, there is a progressive reproduction of the virus.
Infection pathways
You can get infected with HIV from a previously infected person through sexual contact, namely, with improper use of a condom. This is the most common way of infection.
There is a chance of infection through saliva during a kiss or oral sex. But this is permissible in the presence of damage to the mucosa, there is a risk of infection through the blood.
There is an opportunity to get HIV through the blood: through the transfusion procedure, through untreated medical instruments, for example, when using the same syringe with an infected person, which often happens with drug addicts.
Infection is transmitted during pregnancy and childbirth from an infected mother to a child, as well as during breastfeeding.
The household method does not transmit the infection, as HIV - bacteria are very unstable to the environment and die in it after a few hours.
HIV incubation period
After the moment infection occurs incubation HIV period. The duration of the incubation period for each person is individual - from two weeks to a year and depends on the state of human immunity. According to statistics, the average duration is three months.
HIV infection, penetrating the human body, causes a response in it in the form of the appearance of antibodies to the pathogen. The incubation period of HIV is the interval between the introduction of the virus and the appearance of antibodies to it.
Symptoms
Then the stage of early clinical manifestations begins, when the first symptoms of HIV infection begin to appear, similar to signs of respiratory diseases, these are:
- an increase in lymph nodes;
- malaise, drowsiness;
fever;
- headache;
- pain in the orbit, photosensitivity of the eyes;
- rashes and various rashes on the skin;
- runny nose, cough.
These symptoms spontaneously pass after two to four weeks, after which a latent period of the disease occurs, which lasts for many years. On average , the life expectancy of an HIV-infected patient lasts 12 years. In most cases, this is a period of subsidence of the disease.
The next stage is the period of secondary diseases, which is accompanied by the manifestation of concomitant diseases that do not harm a person with a healthy immune system. Manifesting diseases begin to destroy the body from the inside.
The next and final stage of development is AIDS, lasting from 0.5 to 2 years. At this stage, the central nervous system, intestines, lungs, mucous membranes, and skin are most affected. Viruses and bacteria are activated that do not previously cause any harm to humans. It is these reactions of the body that cause the death of a person.
Treatment
At the moment, treatment has not yet been developed that eliminates HIV infection from the body. Modern methods are based on highly effective antiretroviral therapy, which slows down and stops the course of infection, as well as its further transition to the last stage. This allows an HIV-infected person to live fully.
Together with the prescribed therapy, maintaining the health of the host virus is important. For this, they recommend proper nutrition, avoiding stressful situations, a good and healthy sleep, prolonged exposure to the sun, giving up bad habits, sports activities, as well as constant examination (2-4 times a year) by specialist doctors.