Materials: What is AIDS?

What is this?

AIDS, is a syndrome of acquired immune deficiency, -this is a disease of immune system of the person organism, leading to its destruction.

Symptoms of this disease for the first time were registered in 1978 in some patients from USA and Sweden (in MSM), and also in Tanzania and Haiti (in heterosexuals of both sexes). But in 1983 Luc Montane from Paster Institute (France) discovered the virus of immune deficiency of the person (HIV) which is a reason of AIDS. Up today it is known that this virus is from Western Africa, the nature and structure of this was determined, the ways of transmission and viability of virus are researched; however, all these simply did not bring the scholars to create a medicine for HIV treatment. Statistics of HIV-infection spreading is scaring – for this moment 40 million people in the world are infected by HIV or AIDS.

Why it happens?

There are some ways to be infected with HIV:

• unprotected (without condom) sexual act;

• joint usage of syringes, needle and other injecting instrument;

• usage of unsterile instrument for tattoos and pirsing;

• usage of somebody’s else shaving things, tooth-brush with visible remains of blood;

• infected blood transfusion;

• virus transmission form HIV-positive mother to a child- during the pregnancy, delivery and breast feeding.

HIV transmits through the blood, semen, vaginal discharges and breast milk, at the same time there is no danger to be infected through other organism fluids (such as spittle, sweat, tears, urine, and feces). It happens because for the infection of virus some minimal concentration is necessary. So, the necessary quantity of virus for the infection is contained in the blood drops, which are put in at the end of the needle, and the volume of saliva, in which a similar quantity of virus will be contained, will count 4 liter.

What happens?

HIV exists only in the person organism and can not be out of this and being in the air it is immediately demolishing. HIV relates to the viruses, having genetic information, only in the form of RNA (ribonucleic acid), what does not give them an opportunity duplicate singly. For HIV duplication somebody’s DNA is required, in which he will inculcate his genetic information. After that a cell which DNA is pertained to, begins to work as a “factory” on virus production. At last it became impoverished and is died. So, for its duplication HIV use certain cells of our immune system. Namely this explains the dangerousness of HIV- it ruins our protective system, making it to work for its reproduction.

Many people think that HIV and AIDS is the same thing. But it is not so. When the person is infected with HIV, virus begins to demolish the immune system, which is in response for protection of organism confronted with diseases. A person, living with HIV can look and feel himself good during many years and even do not know that he is HIV infected. However, in the course of time virus continues to demolish the cells of immune system and when the cells number is reduced lower than a critical level, person becomes vulnerable for the disease, many of which usually may be avoided. AIDS diagnosis (a syndrome of acquired immune deficiency) usually made after several years after HIV-infection, when one or several serious diseases are developing in the person. For example the early symptoms of the HIV-infection progressing, i.e. exacerbation of the immune deficiency, include thrush of mouth, strange rise of the body temperature, night hyperhidrosis, diarrhea, malnutrition, frequent incisive respiratory infections, zoster (herpes) and others.

Hereby, HIV and AIDS- is not the same thing. HIV-is a virus, which depresses the immune system, but AIDS –it is a complex of diseases, which emerge in the person with HIV on the background of the low immune.

Treatment

Medicines, applying for HIV infection treatment do not kill a virus, and only blockade it, breaking the process of HIV duplication and depressing its activity. Reduction of HIV activeness leads to the restoration of immune cells number. Simultaneous intake of three or four medicine is called highly active anti retro virus therapy, because as a result of such treatment it is possible to reduce the presence of virus in the blood up to undetermined level. HIV may exist not only in blood, but also in the lymph nodes, and also in other organs of the person.

Knowledge about personnel HIV status (i.e. about the presence of virus in blood) can help the person to get a medical aid in time, which is able to prevent a serious and dangerous for life diseases. In the presence of HIV some infections, for example, syphilis, should be treated in other way. Also being HIV carrier, it is necessary to look after the immune status and other indexes, which allows prescribe in time the necessary anti virus treatment and to prevent the AIDS development.

It is necessary to remember that HIV-infected person, can live a long life. There are exist psychological centers of aid to the HIV-infected people, help lines, anonymous clinics in every city for his life would not be damned.