General Overview to AIDS/HIV.
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is a disease caused by the Human Immunodefficiency Virus (HIV). HIV destroys the body's immune system. People infected with HIV, referred to as HIV-positive, can carry the virus for different lengths of time, up to 15 years, before it develops into AIDS.
AIDS - Worldwide Infection.
It is estimated that over 36 million people worldwide have AIDS and over 21 million have died from the disease. Within the U.S., it is estimated that there are approximately 900,000 people diagnosed with AIDS, and an additional 300,000 who are are infected but unaware of their condition.
AIDS Transmission.
HIV/AIDS can be transmitted in a number of ways - sexual intercourse with an infected partner, infected blood and blood products, needle sharing, mother to child, and, in rare cases, through tissue and organ transplants.
AIDS Prevention.
Methods of preventing AIDS includes educating yourself about HIV/AIDS and avoiding contact with HIV-infected fluids.
AIDS Symptoms.
Early symptoms of include fever, headache, rash and a sore throat. Later symptoms include diarrhea, weight loss, coughing, swollen lymph glands and shortness of breath. During the last phase of infection more serious symptoms may occur such as the development of an opportunistic infection due to the deficiency of the immune system.
AIDS Diagnosis.
HIV/AIDS infection is diagnosed by analyzing a blood or mucus sample for the presence of antibodies to the virus.
AIDS Treatment.
A number of drugs have been developed to treat HIV/AIDS. These drugs perform a variety of functions and include: Fusion Inhibitors, Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors and Protease Inhibitors. None of these drugs can cure AIDS and many can have severe side-effects, but for they have extended and improved the quality of life for many patients.