HIV infects the human immune system , causing HIV infection. The last stage of infection is AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. HIV-positive status is incurable. This is a slow infection that affects the immune system of the human body for many years. The virus may not manifest itself for many years, but gradually destroys healthy cells. With AIDS, the body can no longer withstand various harmful environmental factors, fight infections and cancer cells. In this case, even the most harmless inflammatory process can lead to the development of a dangerous condition and the subsequent death of the patient from complications.
Methods for diagnosing HIV infection
Diagnosis of HIV is difficult because the symptoms appear long enough after infection and have similarities with many other diseases. The primary method for early diagnosis is HIV testing. Most often, blood is used for analysis. There are systems for determining the virus in saliva or in urine, but they have not yet found widespread use. A blood test from a vein is the most informative diagnostic method.
Antibodies to HIV at the screening stage can be determined 3-6 months after infection. But doctors say that after unprotected sexual contact with a new partner, it is advisable to take the test after 4 weeks, and then repeat after 8 and 16 weeks. Most medical institutions use third-generation or even second-generation test systems, that is, outdated ones. They often give false-positive results if there are infectious processes, autoimmune diseases (psoriasis, for example) and some other diseases.
Symptoms of the first and second stages of HIV
From the moment of infection and within three to six weeks, the virus actively multiplies in the patient's body. With weakened immunity or the presence of certain diseases (both in the acute period and chronic), this period can be reduced to two weeks. Symptoms at this stage are completely absent. Primary manifestations begin in response to the active reproduction and spread of HIV. Signs of the disease may be absent, but acute infection is observed in 15-30% of patients.
Most often, HIV at this stage is characterized by an increase in body temperature to 38.8 degrees and above, an increase in lymph nodes, rashes in the form of seals and red spots, frequent loose stools, tonsillitis, pharyngitis or inflammation of the throat and oral cavity. The liver and spleen also increase, autoimmune diseases, for example, dermatitis, psoriasis and others, can develop. AIDS-related diseases are emerging.
The third and fourth stages of the disease
In the third stage, an increase in lymph nodes begins, which lasts from two to 15-20 years, because the immune system continues to fight the virus. LNs become painful, in adults increase by more than one centimeter, in children - more than 0.5 cm. Over several years, the lymph nodes can either increase or decrease.
In the future, concomitant diseases occur . The virus begins to multiply actively without receiving a response from the immune system. HIV infects more and more healthy cells, leading to the development of tumors, serious infectious diseases. Some of them are typical only for HIV-positive patients, others can be found in ordinary people, but with HIV they are much more complicated.
Six to ten years after infection, a person loses up to 10% of the initial weight, because the virus inhibits protein synthesis in healthy cells of the body, mucous membranes are affected by boils, abscesses, fungi and other viruses, sinusitis and pharyngitis are characteristic more than three times a year. Seven to ten years after infection, an HIV-positive patient suffers from persistent bacterial and viral infections, and has deep lesions of the skin and mucous membranes. Characteristic of chronic diarrhea, leukoplakia, fever up to 38 degrees or more for one month.
Life-threatening diseases occur 10-12 years after infection. The condition is characterized by a lack of appetite and extreme exhaustion, recurrent herpes, diseases of the central nervous system, the occurrence of malignant tumors of any localization, damage to the kidneys and heart. The fourth stage is still reversible, although all diseases are very difficult to treat and proceed with complications.
Irreversible disease: fifth stage
The terminal stage is characterized by the progression of existing diseases. At this stage, the treatment is already ineffective and only slightly alleviate the patient's condition. Patients die within a few months. It is important that all the above data are of an averaged nature: known cases of both a sufficiently long and relatively successful treatment (up to 20 years) after infection, and situations when patients died within a few months. This is due to the characteristics of the immune system.
Why indicator pathologists develop
In almost 60% of patients, a long asymptomatic period of virus carriage is observed. At the same time, HIV interacts with the patient’s body, destroys the immune system and penetrates into healthy cells, can cause diseases, some of which can be characteristic of any person, while others are a direct indication of the spread of the immunodeficiency virus. HIV-associated diseases are most often called AIDS markers. They arise at the stage when a person becomes unprotected in front of a wide range of pathogens, and become the main diagnostic criteria for determining the correct diagnosis.
Possible indicator diseases
HIV-associated diseases are divided into two categories. Pathologies of the first category make it possible to diagnose the state of immunodeficiency without the need for laboratory confirmation, and diseases of the second category only allow for AIDS. In the latter case, the final diagnosis can only be made after analyzing the results of laboratory tests.
What HIV diseases are considered indicative? The course of AIDS is accompanied by invasive processes that affect the respiratory and nervous systems, malignant tumors, among the variety of which specialists often point to lymphoma of the brain tissue. Mycoses, candidiasis of the oral cavity and esophagus, the presence of any bacterial microflora, various viral diseases, for example, herpetic infection or cytomegaloviruses are often classified as HIV-associated diseases.
Features of the course of infections
The concept of HIV-associated diseases explains that such inflammatory processes provoke, as a rule, those pathogens that are habitual inhabitants of body cavities. Usually these pathogens do not cause disease, but the immune system of HIV-positive patients is undermined by the virus and cannot effectively fight other infections. A typical example is the development of pneumocystis pneumonia. The causative agent of the pathology is normal in the respiratory tract.
Candidiasis for HIV
One of the varieties of fungal infection in HIV-positive people is more common than any other pathology. Oral candidiasis is an early marker of AIDS, and respiratory and esophageal damage are indicators of AIDS. The disease affects young people, more often than men, as a rule, the mucous membranes of the mouth and genitals become inflamed. There is a tendency to the appearance of large lesions, a tendency to ulcers and erosion.
Fungal nail damage can occur in patients infected with HIV, but is not a marker. In this case, under the nail plate, you can see white spots that are absent in a healthy person. In the process of treatment, medications are prescribed: Orungal, Bifonazole, Ketoconazal. For nail and skin, any ointment from the fungus between the toes is suitable. In severe cases, "Miconazole" is prescribed intravenously. An effective ointment from the fungus between the toes is Terbinafine.
Herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus
Infections caused by herpes simplex virus are characteristic for 80-95% of patients with HIV-positive status. Primary manifestations include multiple vesicular eruptions, which are prone to fusion. Later, the disease manifests itself in damage to the eyes, esophagus, respiratory system, central nervous system, genitals. The severity of the disease is aggravated by HIV infection, and inflammatory diseases of the brain and spinal cord, for example, encephalitis and meningitis, can develop against the background. Pathologies of this kind are especially common among men. For treatment, specialists most often choose the drug "Acyclovir".
Cytomegalovirus is another herpes virus with a hidden course. If the cytomegalovirus IGG is positive, what does this mean? A positive result indicates a virus infection. But doctors say with confidence that in 70% of people, antibodies will be detected during the test. The fact is that the action begins only with a decrease in immunity due to HIV infection, during pregnancy, after an organ transplant or surgery, and also against the background of prolonged use of antibiotics.
If the cytomegalovirus IGG is positive, what does this mean? For HIV-positive patients, this is another marker among several dangerous and serious (due to reduced immunity) diseases. For HIV-negative people, a positive test result is favorable and means that a person has recently been ill with this virus, and a stable immunity has developed to its pathogen.
Cerebral lymphoma
A serious AIDS-related disease affects lymphatic and / or hematopoietic tissue. Lymphoma is a late complication of AIDS. The main symptoms are severe headache, visual impairment, epileptic seizures, drowsiness, dizziness, fever, unexplained weight loss, the appearance of "flies" in the eyes, cognitive impairment. If the disease is the only one with AIDS, then therapy is usually effective. Patients are prescribed high doses of corticosteroids, which can improve the condition and reduce the size of the tumor. Radiation therapy is ineffective. Patients with normal immunity live up to two years after treatment.
Kaposi's sarcoma under the age of 60
The HIV-associated disease, which, with significantly weakened immunity, develops in contingents uncharacteristic for this pathology, is Kaposi's sarcoma, which is malignant. In HIV-negative patients, the tumor is quite rare. More characteristic of older Europeans living in the Mediterranean. But with HIV, tumor processes can appear in any age groups. More often the disease affects men.
Clinically, sarcoma is manifested by the appearance of purple or brown spots on the skin. After the formation of the main node, the disease can spread throughout the body. With a severe course or a significant spread, the disease can cause the death of the patient. In the process of treatment, radiation and chemotherapy, a surgical method, photodynamic therapy, cryotherapy are used.
Useful Tips
Testing for HIV status is recommended for all individuals with potentially AIDS-related illnesses or anxiety symptoms that are characteristic of the first two periods of the development of the virus in the body. In case of a positive result, you need to remember that the sooner treatment is started, the more effective it is. Comprehensive care for HIV-infected people should be provided: treatment, counseling about everyday life and psychological support. Relatives and partners of HIV-positive patients may also need to consult a psychologist. Some centers offer anonymous advice.