What is HIV?
HIV is a virus that damages the immune system. The immune system helps the body fight off infections. Over time, as HIV kills more CD4 cells (a type of immune cell called T cells), the body is more likely to get various types of infections and cancers.
HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids that include:
blood
semen
vaginal and rectal fluids
breast milk
What is AIDS?
AIDS is a disease that can develop in people with HIV. It’s the most advanced stage of HIV. But just because a person has HIV doesn’t mean they’ll develop AIDS.
A person can also be diagnosed with AIDS if they have HIV and develop an opportunistic infection or cancer that’s rare in people who don’t have HIV, when the immune system is severely compromised; that makes the person vulnerable to a wide range of illnesses, including:
oral thrush, a fungal infection in the mouth or throat
cytomegalovirus (CMV), a type of herpes virus
cryptococcal meningitis, a fungal infection in the brain
toxoplasmosis, a brain infection caused by a parasite
cryptosporidiosis, an infection caused by an intestinal parasite
cancer, including Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) and lymphoma
What are the symptoms of HIV?
After the first month or so, HIV enters the clinical latency stage. This stage can last from a few years to a few decades. Some people don’t have any symptoms during this time, while others may have minimal or nonspecific symptoms.
These nonspecific symptoms may include:
headaches and other aches and pains
swollen lymph nodes
recurrent fevers
night sweats
fatigue
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
weight loss
skin rashes
recurrent oral or vaginal yeast infections
pneumonia
shingles
Would like to find out more about this article? Please visit the following link:
https://www.healthline.com/health/hiv-aids?ref=global#hiv-rash