What is HIV? HIV Virus Symptoms and Treatment

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that directly attacks the body's immune system, reducing the cells that help fight infection, thus making the individual vulnerable to other diseases that he may encounter. HIV virus causes the disease called AIDS, which stands for “Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome”. A person infected with HIV can carry this virus throughout their life. In order to control the virus, it is important to apply early diagnosis and treatment methods, as in many other diseases. Today, effective treatment methods continue to develop and successful results are achieved.

What is HIV?

HIV was transmitted to humans from a kind of chimpanzee in Central Africa and started to be seen all over the world from Africa over time. . Its transmission from chimpanzees to humans is thought to be the result of humans hunting chimpanzees for their meat, leading to the problem of the HIV AIDS pandemic. HIV, which is believed to have emerged in the late 1800s, has spread throughout Africa over the years. It then spreads to other countries in the world from there. It is known that HIV causes negative effects on the body's immune system. Failure to control it with treatments causes the virus to give birth to the disease called AIDS. With appropriate antiretroviral treatment, the virus can be brought under control, and thanks to these methods, people can both live a long life and be protected from the possibility of passing the virus to their spouses.

What Does Anti-HIV Positive Mean?

If a person has HIV With the help of tests, he can find out whether the . These tests, called anti HIV, have positive and negative values. The presence of HIV virus in the body of a person with a positive anti-HIV value can be mentioned. At this stage, a definitive diagnosis is made with detailed examinations and applications such as HIV confirmation test. When the anti-HIV value is negative, it means that the person does not have any antibodies against HIV in his body. After diagnosis is made by laboratory tests specific to the disease, the course of the infection is examined. Regular follow-ups, treatments and applications are among the important parts of the process. It is recommended that especially risky groups have HIV tests and regular check-ups.

What are the Symptoms of HIV?

HIV begins to show itself with minor symptoms within a few weeks after being infected. These symptoms are often similar to the flu, so you may not be thought to be infected with the virus at first. At the same time, the symptoms are not the same in every individual. In some individuals, no symptoms will be seen, while in others it can be seen intensely. Some of the symptoms of HIV are as follows:

• High fever
• Intensifying sweats at night
• Muscle aches
• Rashes
• Mouth ulcers
• Lymph gland swelling
• Sore throat
• Fatigue and feeling of exhaustion

These symptoms occur 2 to 4 months after being infected with the HIV virus. It can show itself within a week. The stage in which the virus shows its symptoms in this way is called “acute HIV infection”. If necessary applications are not made during acute HIV infection, the disease becomes “chronic HIV infection”. In the stage of chronic HIV infection, there are usually not many symptoms. Over time, the immune system weakens and the person becomes vulnerable to other diseases. If no treatment is applied at this stage, AIDS, which is the last stage, is seen. During the AIDS stage, the body can be seriously damaged.

What are the Causes of HIV, How is HIV Transmitted?

The reason for HIV transmission is contact with infected blood or body secretions. This is usually done sexually. Some of the situations that are among the ways of transmission of HIV virus are:

Unprotected sexual intercourse

Sharing equipment such as needles and syringes

Contacting with the blood of an infected person

Mother-to-baby transmission during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding The secretions that occur during sexual intercourse lead to the transmission of HIV to the partner. Blood and bodily secretions from needles and syringes also result in the infection of the other person using this device. Contact with the blood of an infected person causes blood-borne transmission. If pregnant women also carry the HIV virus, it may cause the virus to be passed on to the baby during pregnancy, during delivery and while breastfeeding the baby.

What are the Types of HIV Diseases?

It progresses in 3 stages until it reaches AIDS, which is the k degree. HIV, which causes different effects in the body at each stage, can continue to progress rapidly if treatment and applications are not used. HIV types and stages are as follows:

Acute HIV Infection: At this stage, there is a large amount of HIV in the blood. They are very contagious. Individuals who are not yet aware of it can easily pass the virus to their spouses. At this stage, flu-like symptoms may or may not occur over time. Tests that diagnose acute infection are antigen/antibody tests and nucleic acid tests.

Chronic HIV Infection: This stage is also defined as the clinical delay stage. The virus is still active in the body, but the level of replication is quite low. Symptoms at this stage are also usually minimal. The chronic stage of HIV infection can last up to 10 years without any medication. A low level of virus replication does not mean that there will be no transmission. At the end of this stage, the HIV rate rises and the third stage is passed. People who take their medications properly, on the other hand, usually never reach the third stage.

AIDS: AIDS is the stage where the infection is most severe. The immune system is very strong and quickly damaged. Infections called opportunistic infections increase in the body. The diagnosis of AIDS is made when the number of CD4 cells in the body falls below a certain rate. HIV infection rate is very high for people with AIDS.

How to Diagnose HIV?

The diagnosis of HIV can be made with the help of blood tests and home test kits. HIV testing is available through health institutions such as hospitals, community health centers, and clinics. With the help of these institutions, tests can be done and treatment can be started quickly after diagnosis. The rapidity of the process helps to greatly reduce the rate of transition of the virus to other stages. Test kits sold in pharmacies can also be used for the diagnosis of HIV. Home test kits help you learn the presence of the virus in your body under more specific conditions. According to the results of the test, health institutions can be applied and the virus can be tried to be taken under control. You can get support from a specialist to find out how much anti HIV should be. Tests are usually positive and negative. The test result is easy to learn and understand because it shows if values.

HIV Test

“What is HIV testing?” The question is asked by many people who are both at high risk of being infected with the virus and wondering about the virus. HIV testing is one of the only sure ways to tell if you have HIV in your body. These tests are usually fairly easy to administer. These tests, which can be done in hospitals, can also be applied at home. Consulting and getting help from experts regarding the test result after self-tests or tests performed in medical clinics is also very important and necessary. is necessary. Like many other viruses, this virus also has an incubation period. Tests performed during the HIV incubation period may result in incorrect results and may lead to incorrect behavior. It takes approximately 4-6 weeks for virus antibodies to form. The most accurate result can be obtained after waiting three months. The tests performed on the 90th day after the suspicious relationship help you get highly accurate data. In addition, the waiting times vary according to the types of tests.

Where is the HIV Test Performed?

HIV test can be done in many health institutions serving for public health. Infected people can get accurate results thanks to blood tests and other test methods performed at the right time in health institutions. At the same time, home self-tests after the incubation period of the disease will also help you learn about your possibility of being infected and provide convenience. All findings in the blood are detected and the presence or absence of HIV in the body is examined. Home HIV tests are also administered by drawing blood from the fingertip. These tests, which give results in an average of half an hour, are also very important for early diagnosis.

What are the HIV Treatment Methods?

People infected with HIV continue to carry the virus in their bodies throughout their lives. HIV treatment methods are used to reduce and eliminate the possibility of transmission of the virus to other stages.

Antiretro HIV treatment method is applied with a drug method called viral treatment. Medication also helps reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to other people. Many people infected with HIV can live both long and healthy lives as a result of regular medication. In this process, it is also important to take good care of oneself and improve the quality of life with healthy practices, medical care and similar methods. In addition to these, it is of great importance to avoid risky sexual relations and to use disposable injectors in order not to become infected with HIV and to reduce the rate of transmission of the virus. It is necessary to cooperate with the doctor so that the virus does not infect the baby during pregnancy.

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