What is AIDS? What are the symptoms, routes of transmission, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of AIDS?

What is AIDS? What are the symptoms, routes of transmission, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of AIDS?

What is AIDS? What are the symptoms, routes of transmission, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of AIDS?

What is AIDS?
AIDS is a transliterated disease name. Its full name is "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome". The first capital letter of each word in English name is called "AIDS". Transliteration is what we often call "AIDS".  It is a human infectious immunodeficiency virus, a chronic infectious disease caused by HIV, which we often say. HIV invades the body's immune system, causing the body's immune function to decline or even be lost, eventually leading to serious infection or tumor death.

How long does it take for AIDS to go from infection to morbidity?
The incubation period averages nine years, which can be as short as several months and as long as 15 years. The length of the incubation period is related to a variety of factors: such as the route of infection, the number of infected viruses, the genotype of the virus, and the physical fitness of the infected person. This process is the process of the human body fighting the virus. The upper hand, the symptoms of AIDS will be manifested.


What are the performances of AIDS?
AIDS is a chronic infectious disease, and its course can be divided into acute phase, asymptomatic phase and AIDS phase.

1. Acute phase: usually occurs 2 to 4 weeks after infection with HIV, mainly due to the spread of the virus throughout the body. Such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, various types of rash, etc., usually 1 to 3 weeks after the symptoms are relieved.
2. Asymptomatic period: The asymptomatic period may occur after the acute phase is improved, or it may be directly in the asymptomatic phase without obvious acute phase. This phase may last for 6 to 8 years.
3.  AIDS period: This period is mainly characterized by HIV-related symptoms, opportunistic infections and tumors. 

• HIV-related symptoms: fever, diarrhea, rapid weight loss, lymphadenopathy, etc. for more than 1 month; 
• Opportunistic infections: Pneumocystis, cryptococcus, tuberculosis, candida, herpes zoster infection; 
• Tumor: malignant lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, skin cancer, etc.

What is the skin manifestation of AIDS?
The skin is at the outermost part of the human body. What symptoms are also likely to cause the patient's attention and have an early warning effect.

• Non-infectious skin manifestations: Seborrheic dermatitis is the most common occurrence of HIV-infected people. If there is a sudden and severe seborrheic dermatitis and there is a history of suspicious HIV exposure, the possibility of HIV infection should be considered. There is also psoriasis outbreak, dry skin, intractable itching; 
• Infective skin manifestations: severe herpes zoster, frequent herpes simplex, common warts or condyloma acuminata, fungal or bacterial infections; 
• Skin tumors : Kaposi's sarcoma, melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, etc.

Why do you get AIDS?
AIDS is a disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. When HIV infects the human body, it attacks and destroys the body's T lymphocytes, causing the body to monitor the body's ability to become cancerous and resist external infections damaged or even missing, thereby causing the patient to die of infection or cancer.

Which groups are vulnerable to AIDS?
High-risk groups are male homosexuals, drug users, sexually disordered people, and people who have received blood transfusions many times.

• Male homosexuality: the phenomenon of multiple sexual partners in this population is common, the condom use rate is low, the way of anal sex makes the mucous membrane more easily damaged and causes the virus to spread; 
• Drug addicts: often use the same syringe for injection, easy to spread through blood; 
• Sexually confused people: The probability of infection through sexual behavior is greater than that of people with fixed partners; 
• Multiple blood transfusions: may be infected by entering blood products contaminated with HIV.

Is AIDS contagious?
AIDS is an infectious disease, and human immunodeficiency virus HIV infection and AIDS patients are the source of infection. HIV has been isolated from blood, semen, vaginal secretions, tears, milk, saliva, and sweat, but the virus content in tears, saliva, and sweat is extremely low and does not cause infection.

How is AIDS transmitted?
There are currently three main ways to spread AIDS: sexual transmission, blood transmission, and mother-to-child transmission.

• Sexual transmission: mainly due to the slight damage of the mucous membrane caused by friction during sexual intercourse, and HIV enters the human body through the wound. 
• Blood transmission: mainly due to the joint use of HIV-contaminated and unsterilized syringes, the importation of HIV-contaminated blood products or the use of HIV-contaminated personal household items.
• Mother-to-child transmission: HIV can enter the fetus through the placenta of a mother who is infected with HIV, or it can be infected when the child is infected through the birth canal or breastfeeding.

How will AIDS not be transmitted?

• In general, sharing office equipment, learning utensils, and tableware with people living with HIV will not cause infection; it will not be contagious if it is in the same space.
• General life contact, such as eating together, hugging, shaking hands, and courtesy kissing will not cause infection. 
• Mosquito bites, coughs, sneezing will not be infected.

Can mosquitoes spread AIDS?
It is currently believed that mosquitoes do not transmit AIDS because HIV cannot survive in them. However, some people may have doubts: If mosquitoes just suck the blood of AIDS patients and then suck the blood of healthy people, will this be contagious? The answer is that the chances are not too big. Because the amount of virus must reach a certain number to cause AIDS, it is only a little virus on the mosquito mouthparts that will not cause infection. Current epidemiological studies have also failed to confirm that people are infected with AIDS due to mosquito bites.

How long does the virus that causes AIDS live in vitro?
Human immunodeficiency virus HIV has poor viability in vitro and is sensitive to heat. It can be inactivated at 133℉ for 30 minutes. It can be completely inactivated at 212℉ for 20 minutes. Medical alcohol can inactivate it. .

Will AIDS be inherited?
AIDS is not inherited, but AIDS can be transmitted to the child through the mother, which is what we often call mother-to-child transmission.

Will oral sex affect AIDS?
Relative to other sexual behaviors (anal sex, penile vaginal sex), the probability of oral transmission of AIDS is relatively low, but there is still the possibility of transmitting HIV. If you want absolute safety, it is recommended that condoms should also be used when making oral sex.

What do you suspect if you have AIDS? What department or where should AIDS be linked?

• First of all, we must determine why we suspect that we have AIDS. Ask yourself the following questions: Have you ever had dangerous sexual behavior? Do you take drugs? Is there a shared syringe? Have you lost blood products that are not guaranteed? Does the spouse have AIDS? Do you share razors, tattoo equipment, etc?
• If you have a history of contact, or if you want to determine if you have AIDS, you can go to a regular medical institution, such as a CDC or a hospital at or above the county level to test HIV antibodies. Never go to an unauthorized institution or a small clinic. Detection. General outpatient clinics or dermatology departments can be tested.

What tests are needed to diagnose AIDS?
It is mainly through blood test to detect whether some cells in the blood are reduced (CD4 positive T cells are reduced in AIDS patients). The most accurate is to detect the presence or absence of HIV antibodies in the blood. If there is, it means that HIV is infected.

What is the “window period” when AIDS is being examined?
HIV antibodies are the gold standard for diagnosing AIDS, but HIV antibodies appear only a few weeks after infection. This is what we usually call a "window period", that is, serum HIV is positive, but antibodies are negative. Therefore, the antibody may still be negative when it is infected, so if you suspect that you have a history of HIV exposure, you may have to check it multiple times at different times.

What diseases are AIDS easily confused with?
AIDS should be differentiated from primary or secondary CD4 positive lymphopenia. Both of these diseases are prone to serious infections similar to AIDS due to a decrease in CD4-positive lymphocytes, but none of them have a history of HIV exposure and HIV antibodies are negative. Severely infected or CD4-positive lymphopenia may be considered for HIV antibody testing to rule out the possibility of AIDS.

Can AIDS be completely cured?
For the time being, AIDS is incurable. At present, the treatment goal of AIDS is to minimize the replication of the virus, maximize the immunity of immunization, improve the quality of life of patients, and reduce the spread of AIDS.

Since AIDS is not cured, why is it still treated?
Although there is no cure for AIDS, antiviral drugs can control the invasion of the virus and maximize the quality of life of patients. In 1991, the famous American star Johnson was diagnosed with AIDS, but he still lives very well. This is a real case of the significance of treating AIDS.

What are the serious consequences of AIDS if it is not treated?
HIV itself is not fatal to patients. It is fatal that it destroys the body's immune system. If it is not treated, when the autoimmune system is destroyed to a certain extent, some infections that are mild to the average person may be fatal for AIDS patients. Combat, such as a cold, can lead to death. Under normal circumstances, after the virus invades the human body, the immune cells of the human body will be stimulated to fight the virus. The normal immune population will eventually fight, and the situation will improve after the virus is defeated. However, the immune system of the AIDS patient has been destroyed, and once the pathogen enters the patient, there is no Restrictions are raging in the body, and AIDS patients may die if there is no effective medication or timely treatment.

What are the treatments for AIDS?
The treatment of AIDS is mainly antiviral treatment, treatment of infections and tumors and corresponding symptomatic treatment.

• Antiviral treatment: There are many kinds of antiviral drugs. Because HIV is easily mutated, it is easy to develop resistance to a single drug. Now it is advocated to use a combination of various antiviral drugs. Currently, treatment plans for different populations have been developed.
• Treatment of infections, tumors: for different infections, including Pneumocystis infection, fungal infections, viral infections, etc.; 
• Symptomatic treatment: strengthen nutritional support, while giving psychological treatment.

What is the “cocktail therapy” of AIDS?
"Cocktail therapy" is the most widely used method for treating AIDS. "Cocktail therapy" originally refers to "high-efficiency antiretroviral therapy", which refers to the combination of three or more antiviral drugs to treat AIDS. Because cocktails are made from a variety of wines, the two principles are similar, so it is called "cocktail therapy." Now that the concept has been expanded, it refers to the combination of multiple antiviral drugs to treat AIDS.

What should be paid attention to during the treatment of AIDS?
Since AIDS is a lifelong treatment, it is important to monitor the side effects of drugs and the number of viruses and to adjust treatment options in a timely manner. Antiviral drugs may cause headache, nausea, bone marrow suppression, liver and kidney damage, so go to the hospital to monitor liver and kidney function regularly; and monitor the number of viruses in order to keep the virus at a low level.

How do AIDS patients use condoms correctly?

• Make sure that the condom is not damaged, take care not to break the condom when tearing, use the condom of the regular manufacturer; 
• Determine the front and back of the condom, the side that is generally curled is outside; 
• Discharge the condom before use The air, placed on the penis, to ensure that the entire penis is covered; 
• After the use, the knot should be tied and discarded.

What do you need to pay attention to when living with AIDS patients?
Living with AIDS patients, we must pay attention to understanding the route of infection, and actively protect ourselves from being infected. If you suspect that you may be infected, you can do AIDS testing, but there is no recommendation for regular or prescribed inspection.

What should I pay attention to in life after getting AIDS?

• Correctly face AIDS and actively treat; 
• Seek help from government social organizations to maintain mental health; 
• Maintain their rights and fulfill their obligations. Our country's laws expressly stipulate that AIDS patients should not be discriminated against. AIDS patients have the right to marry, work, and seek medical care. At the same time, they must fulfill their obligations, accept epidemiological investigations and guidance from relevant state agencies, and inform people who have sexual relations with themselves and seek medical treatment. When you tell your doctor, you must not maliciously spread AIDS.

What can we do to control AIDS in our daily lives?

• Correctly recognize AIDS, do not discriminate against AIDS patients;
• Cleanse yourself, refuse drugs and unclean sex;
• Communicate basic knowledge of AIDS;
• Join the public welfare activities against AIDS.

Can a condom prevent AIDS?
In general, the correct use of condoms can prevent the spread of AIDS. As for the aperture problem of online madness, it does not make much sense, because many countries have used condoms to prevent the AIDS epidemic, such as Thailand. But condoms can't be 100% sure to prevent the spread of AIDS, so it's better to be self-sufficient.

How to prevent AIDS?
AIDS is an infectious disease, so prevention can be based on the basic principles of infectious disease prevention.

• Control the source of infection: management and mental health education for those who have been infected with AIDS to prevent their revenge on the society; the medical department finds that the infected person reports in time; suspicious patients or contacts have to seek medical treatment as soon as possible to overcome fear; 
• Cut off the route of transmission: avoid high-risk behaviors, such as sharing syringes to inject drugs, multiple sexual partners, not using condoms during sexual intercourse, pregnant women who are infected with AIDS, or breastfeeding; 
• Protecting susceptible populations: those who have contact with AIDS patients Or high-risk groups should strengthen health education and prevent infections. For example, doctors should wear gloves when operating AIDS patients; strengthen education for high-risk groups and regularly test HIV antibodies.

How to prevent AIDS patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding from passing AIDS to their children?
Studies have shown that mothers taking antiviral medications during antenatal and childbirth and non-breastfeeding of infants within 6 months of delivery can reduce mother-to-child transmission by two-thirds.

Is there a vaccine for AIDS?
Although the AIDS vaccine research has been 30 years old, there is still no vaccine that can effectively prevent AIDS. It should be said that if the AIDS vaccine is successfully developed, it will be a Nobel Prize-level achievement.