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HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that can damage the human immune system.
If allowed to continue, infection with this virus can lead to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).
HIV/AIDS is one of the diseases causing the highest mortality rate in the world.
This infection can cause various dangerous diseases such as lung infections, tuberculosis, HSV, meningitis, up to the risk of cancer.
Unfortunately, until now there is no drug that can cure HIV / AIDS. Given the danger of this infection, you need to recognize the symptoms early on. Check out the following common HIV symptoms.
Symptoms of HIV
HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system by damaging and destroying CD4 cells. As a result, people with HIV get sick very easily.
Transmission of HIV/AIDS occurs through 2 routes, namely through blood and genital fluids. For this reason, those who have frequent sex or share needles have a higher risk of infection.
Many people are sometimes unaware that they have been infected with HIV. The symptoms of HIV are actually almost similar to the symptoms of the common cold, so they are often ignored.
According to the Mayo Clinic website, the symptoms of HIV are as follows.
1. Fever
At first, HIV symptoms look like the common cold. The fever usually lasts for weeks and the body feels heavy to move.
These common symptoms often render the sufferer unconscious and take no action.
2. Headache
In addition to fever, one of the HIV symptoms that often goes unrecognized is a headache. Sufferers will feel as if someone is hitting their head from the inside.
3. Body pain
When you have a high fever, you may feel pain all over your body, especially in your bones and muscles. This body pain turns out to be one of the symptoms of HIV, you know.
4. Sore throat
A sore throat that does not go away despite medication is one of the rather serious symptoms of HIV/AIDS.
Do not hesitate to visit a doctor if the sore throat does not go away.
5. Dry cough
In addition to a sore throat, a dry cough that lasts for weeks is also a sign of HIV infection.
The immune system no longer works properly, making it easier for people with HIV to fall and harder to recover.
6. Stupid
Many people with HIV experience changes in their skin. The rash usually occurs in the early stages of HIV infection and lasts 2-3 weeks. This rash on the skin looks like pimples and sometimes feels itchy.
By reporting from the Healthline page, HIV can make a person more susceptible to skin diseases. This is because the HIV virus destroys immune cells that can prevent infection.
Even so, the rash isn’t always caused by HIV. Sometimes a rash can also appear as a result of an allergic reaction to certain medications. For this, try to see a doctor if a rash appears on the skin.
7. Diarrhea
Another symptom of HIV is diarrhea. HIV infection can attack the digestive system and cause nausea, vomiting and other digestive problems.
When diarrhea continues for a long time, there is a possibility that the person has AIDS.
8. Frequent sweating
Many HIV patients often sweat at night even if the air is cold. This is especially true in the early stages of HIV.
9. Enlarged lymph nodes
Swollen lymph nodes in the neck are a symptom of HIV in its early stages. This usually lasts for months.
When HIV spreads in the body, the immune system kicks in and causes the lymph nodes to swell.
This brings up enlargement in the area:
- Behind the head
- Neck
- Armpit
10. Mouth ulcers
HIV/AIDS symptoms can also be seen through oral disease. Oral ulcers usually occur in the early stages of HIV infection.
Signs of canker sores are the appearance of creamy plaques on the lips, tongue and palate.
11. Oral yeast infection
Oral yeast infection or commonly known as oral thrush is a Candida Albicans fungal infection that attacks the mouth. This disease is also one of the earliest stages of HIV symptoms.
12. Shingles
Shingles disease may seem foreign to your ears. Another name for this disease is shingles or snakepox. Shingles is caused by infection with the Varicella Zoster virus.
Smallpox is characterized by the appearance of rashes all over the body and water-filled nodules accompanied by pain. Weak immune system due to HIV attack is the cause of this disease.
13. Easily tired
HIV/AIDS patients also tend to tire easily, even if they do nothing.
This is because the body’s immune system can no longer function as it used to. So whatever he does is going to be heavy.
14. Weight loss
As a result of attacks on the body’s immune system, people with HIV tend to lose weight. So if you suddenly lose weight without dieting or exercising, don’t be happy just yet.
15. Pneumonia
In a very severe stage, HIV/AIDS is characterized by the onset of an infection in the lungs such as pneumonia.
Remember that HIV can attack all systems in the body, including the respiratory system.
According to the Very Well Health website, there are some additional symptoms of HIV in women, which are as follows.
- Pain in the vaginal area such as burning.
- Menstruation is irregular.
- Pain when urinating or having sex
- Your menstrual blood volume is higher than usual.
- Abnormal vaginal discharge, appearing red liquid and accompanied by a pungent, putrid odor.
Stages of HIV patients
There are 3 stages of HIV infection. The three stages are as follows.
Stage 1: HIV infection
In the early stages of HIV infection, most people have flu-like symptoms. Symptoms of HIV in the early stages are as follows.
- Temperature
- Feel cold
- Sore throat
- Sciatica in the muscles
- Easily tired
- Enlarged lymph nodes.
The above HIV symptoms usually last for weeks.
Even so, do not arbitrarily draw conclusions when the above symptoms occur. You can take an HIV test to determine if you are positive or not.
Chapter 2: Clinical latency
After the immune system fails to fight off the HIV infection, the initial flu symptoms will disappear. Even so, don’t be happy just yet. The disappearance of these early HIV symptoms does not mean the condition is safe.
At this stage, the virus will multiply and multiply in the body. There are usually no significant symptoms in this stage.
The second phase also usually lasts quite a while. Without treatment, the second stage can last 10 to 15 years.
Stage 3: AIDS
The most severe stage of HIV infection is AIDS. If a person has HIV and does not take any treatment, the body’s immune system will weaken and cause AIDS.
The symptoms of AIDS are as follows.
- Drastic weight loss.
- Often feels tired for no reason.
- Swelling in the neck and armpits.
- Diarrhea for more than 1 week.
- Pneumonia
- Easy to forget or senile.
- Depression
Treatment for HIV patients
For people with HIV, don’t worry. With effective treatment, HIV will not progress to AIDS.
HIV cannot be cured. Once you are infected with HIV, you will continue to be infected forever. However, it is possible to prevent HIV from worsening to the AIDS stage.
According to the Mayo Clinic website, treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy (ART).
ART is an effort to reduce the levels of HIV in the blood by consuming various types of medications. Some of the commonly used anti-HIV drugs are:
1. NNRTI
NNRTIs work to destroy proteins that HIV needs to reproduce. Some of the frequently used NNRTIs are:
2. NRTIs
NRTI drugs that work to interfere with HIV’s ability to reproduce. Examples of NRTIs are:
- Emtriva
- epivir
- ziagen
- Viread
3. Protease inhibitors
Protease inhibitors or PIs are drugs that can turn off the proteases HIV needs to reproduce. Examples of PIs are Prezista, Kaletra and Reyataz.
4. Integrase inhibitors
Integrase inhibitors are HIV/AIDS drugs that work to destroy the integrase protein used by HIV to destroy CD4 cells. Examples of integration inhibitors are:
The HIV/AIDS treatment process is not easy. Schedule regular consultations with your doctor and always communicate your complaints so that your HIV treatment can be more effective.
HIV prevention
Prevention is definitely better than cure. There is no specific vaccine that can prevent HIV/AIDS, so you need to protect yourself from this virus.
Most HIV/AIDS transmission comes from sexual contact and through blood. For this reason, by preventing indiscriminate sex, HIV/AIDS can be prevented.
Here are some simple steps to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS you can take.
1. Use protection
Use condoms every time you have sex, especially if you and your partner are both unsure whether or not you have HIV/AIDS.
Transmission through intimate relationships is usually the most common.
2. Use clean needles
Whenever you use a syringe, make sure the needle is completely sterile. Do not use 1 syringe at the same time. Always change the syringe after use.
3. Don’t be afraid to see a doctor
If you think you may have the symptoms of HIV as mentioned above, don’t be afraid to get yourself checked or tested.
By seeing a doctor, you are preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDS to the people around you.
These are some of the symptoms of HIV and how to prevent and treat it. Don’t ignore symptoms just because they feel too mild.
Early treatment can prevent HIV from getting worse, all the way to AIDS.
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