A common infection related to HIV is oral thrush , which is a fungal infection that causes inflammation and white patches on the tongue and inside of the mouth. Another viral infection that affects the mouth is oral hairy leukoplakia , which causes white lesions on the tongue. Salmonella infection is transmitted through contaminated food or water, and it causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Anyone can get Salmonella , but people who have HIV are at higher risk for serious complications from it.
Consuming contaminated food or water can also result in a parasitic intestinal infection called cryptosporidiosis. This infection affects the bile ducts and intestines and can be particularly severe. It can cause chronic diarrhea in people with AIDS. Advanced HIV can cause nerve damage, also known as neuropathy. This most commonly leads to pain and numbness in the feet and hands.
Small holes in the conducting sheaths of peripheral nerve fibers can cause pain, weakness, and difficulty walking. This condition is known as vacuolar myelopathy.
There are significant neurological complications of AIDS. Toxoplasma encephalitis , caused by a parasite commonly found in cat feces, is another possible complication of AIDS. Having a weakened immune system puts people with AIDS at an increased risk for inflammation of the brain and spinal cord due to this parasite. Symptoms include confusion, headaches, and seizures.
Seizures can also result from certain nervous system infections. In very advanced cases, hallucinations and frank psychosis can occur. Some people may also experience headaches, balance or coordination issues, and vision problems. A weakened immune response leaves a person more vulnerable to viruses such as herpes. Herpes can cause people to develop sores around their mouth or genitals. The reactivation of herpes zoster, the virus that gives people chickenpox, causes shingles.
The condition causes a painful rash, often with blisters. A viral skin infection called molluscum contagiosum involves an outbreak of bumps on the skin.
Despite these problems, there is now evidence of the long-term safety of antiretroviral therapy, which can significantly increase life expectancy for many people with HIV. Read more about treatments for HIV here. Without treatment, it can damage the immune system, increasing the risk of other infections and leading to possible complications across the body. However, antiretroviral therapy lowers the amount of HIV in the body, which prevents it from damaging the immune system.
This treatment has led to opportunistic infections becoming much less common. Read this article in Spanish. Here, we look at the symptoms, progression, transmission, medication, and management strategies. An HIV diagnosis may feel overwhelming, but new treatments are significantly reducing the effect that the virus has on the quality of life. Learn more….
There are many myths about HIV transmission. This article explains why food, water, touching, kissing, and several other means cannot transmit the…. HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system and increases the risk of other infections. With an early diagnosis, effective treatment is possible…. While modern medical treatments have drastically reduced the risk of HIV complications, people living with HIV may be more prone to certain illnesses….
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Adolescent depression: Could school screening help? In the first few years after infection, someone with HIV may have mild symptoms, like swollen glands. Because the symptoms of HIV can be mild at first, some people might not know they're infected. They can spread HIV to others without even knowing it.
CD4 cells are part of the immune system. They fight germs and help prevent some kinds of cancers. Health care providers usually diagnose HIV through blood tests.
Tests also are available without a prescription at the drugstore. You can do the test at home. People with AIDS are vulnerable to opportunistic infections and common infections that may include tuberculosis , toxoplasmosis , and pneumonia.
People with weakened immune systems are also more susceptible to certain types of cancer , such as lymphoma and cervical cancer. The survival rate for people with AIDS varies depending on treatment and other factors. The most important factor affecting HIV progression is the ability to achieve viral suppression. Taking antiretroviral therapy regularly helps many people slow the progression of HIV and reach viral suppression.
However, a variety of factors affect HIV progression, and some people progress through the phases of HIV more quickly than others. Treatments for HIV typically involve antiretroviral therapy. The U. Antiretroviral therapy works to prevent the virus from copying itself.
This maintains immunity levels while slowing the progression of HIV. Before prescribing medication, a healthcare provider will take the following factors into consideration:.
There are seven classes of HIV drugs , and a typical treatment regimen involves medications from different classes. Most healthcare providers will start people with HIV on a combination of three medications from at least two different drug classes. These classes, from the most commonly prescribed to the least commonly prescribed, are:.
People with past exposure to HIV would also benefit from episodic testing. If a person has been exposed to HIV within the past 72 hours, they should consider post-exposure prophylaxis, otherwise known as PEP. Advances in HIV treatments mean that people are living longer with the condition than ever before.
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