AIDS

BY: DR NAVEEN BILAL

INTRODUCTION

• Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening

condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By damaging your immune
system, HIV interferes with your body’s ability to fight infection and disease.
• HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It can also be spread by contact with infected
blood or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breast-feeding. Without
medication, it may take years before HIV weakens your immune system to the point that you
have AIDS.
• There’s no cure for HIV/AIDS, but medications can dramatically slow the progression of the
disease. These drugs have reduced AIDS deaths in many developed nations.
SYMPTOMS

Some people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within two to four weeks after the virus enters the body. This illness, known as primary (acute) HIV infection,
may last for a few weeks. Possible signs and symptoms include:
• Fever

• Headache
• Muscle aches and joint pain
• Rash
• Sore throat and painful mouth sores
• Swollen lymph glands, mainly on the neck
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Cough
• Night sweats
STAGES OF HIV ( STAGE 1: ACUTE HIV INFECTION)

People have a large amount of HIV in their blood. They are very contagious.

Some people have flu-like symptoms. This is the body’s natural response to infection.

But some people may not feel sick right away or at all.
• If you have flu-like symptoms and think you may have been exposed to HIV, seek
medical care and ask for a test to diagnose acute infection.
STAGE 2: CHRONIC HIV INFECTION

This stage is also called asymptomatic HIV infection or clinical latency.

HIV is still active but reproduces at very low levels.

People may not have any symptoms or get sick during this phase.

Without taking HIV medicine, this period may last a decade or longer, but some may
progress faster.
• People can transmit HIV in this phase.
STAGE 3: ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY
SYNDROME (AIDS)
The most severe phase of HIV infection.

People with AIDS have such badly damaged immune systems that they get an increasing
number of severe illnesses, called opportunistic infections.

People with AIDS can have a high viral load and be very infectious.
• Without treatment, people with AIDS typically survive about three years.
PREVENTION

• Methods of prevention include safe sex, needle exchange programs, treating those who
are infected, as well as both pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. Disease in a baby can
often be prevented by giving both the mother and child antiretroviral medication.There is
no cure or vaccine; however, antiretroviral treatment can slow the course of the disease
and may lead to a near-normal life expectancy.Treatment is recommended as soon as the
diagnosis is made.Without treatment, the average survival time after infection is 11 years.
TREATMENT

• There is currently no cure, nor an effective HIV vaccine. Treatment consists of highly
active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) which slows progression of the disease.
THANK YOU