Aids and HIV

What is HIV?

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.  When a person has HIV it means the HIV virus is in his or her body.

When a person has AIDS it means HIV has made it so the body cannot fight off infections. The person may get infections or tumors that the body can no longer fight off.

Since AIDS is an advanced form of an HIV infection, everyone who has AIDS also has HIV. HIV causes AIDS. HIV enters the body through blood, semen, vaginal fluid or breast milk from an infected person.

The body depends on the immune system to fight infections the same way it depends on the digestive system to digest food. The immune system also keeps some types of cancer from taking over the body. With no immune system, a person would die from a simple infection such as a cold or flu.

If we think of the immune system as an army fighting infections, white blood cells are the soldiers. They are called lymphocytes.  There are special lymphocytes called CD4 helper lymphocytes. They coordinate the immune system’s attack on foreign organisms.

As HIV infects the body, it destroys CD4 helper lymphocytes by using them to make copies of itself. This causes the immune system to not work well. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. “Immuno” means the immune system and “deficiency” means lacking.

Lymphocytes and HIV fight each other for years. Each day the body makes billions of CD4 cells and the HIV uses them to make even more of its own copies. In most people, the HIV eventually wins the battle. However, new medications can make it difficult for HIV to win.

After a person is infected with HIV, the number of CD4 cells goes down. A normal count is 600 to 1500 per cubic milliliter of blood. When the count drops below 200, the body’s immune system cannot work well at all. With a CD4 count below 200, a simple infection could cause a lot of trouble because the body cannot fight it off.

After getting HIV, when does a person have AIDS? There is no clear- cut answer but doctors agree that a person has AIDS if he or she has HIV and BOTH of the following happen:

1. The CD4 helper lymphocyte count is 200 or less

2. He or she has a serious infection or cancer because the  immune system could not fight it off

AIDS Complications

AIDS stands for Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. This means a disease caused by a weak immune system. Once HIV turns into AIDS, the risk of death is much higher. Even so, the risk varies a lot from patient to patient

Some AIDS patients die shortly after being diagnosed, while others live 12 more years or longer. Fortunately, patients with AIDS are living longer as new treatments are discovered.

Without treatment, a person with AIDS could die from a simple infection. Viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites can cause infections.

Infections caused by bacteria include:

1. Tuberculosis (TB)
2. My cobacterium Avium Complex (MAC)
3. Salmonellosis

Tuberculosis, or TB, usually affects the lungs. However, people with HIV are more likely to have TB in other places on the body. People with HIV can get TB regardless of their CD4 lymphocyte levels.

My cobacterium Avium Complex, or MAC, is caused by a group of bacteria called MAC. These bacteria usually cause an infection in the respiratory tract.

Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection that passes into the body from contaminated food or water.

Infections caused by viruses include:

1. Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
2. Viral hepatitis
3. Herpes simplex virus (HSV)
4. Human papilloma
5. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)

Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is a common herpes virus many healthy adults have in their bodies. However, it usually stays inactive. In people with HIV, it can become active and affect the eyes, digestive tract, lungs or other organs. If not treated, CMV can lead to blindness.

Viral hepatitis is a liver infection. There are several types including hepatitis A, B and C. Viral hepatitis
can cause failure of the liver, also known as cirrhosis. If the liver fails, a person dies.

There are 2 types of herpes simplex viruses, or HSV. Type 1 causes cold sores.  Type 2 causes genital herpes.

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a very common sexually transmitted disease. Some types of this virus cause common warts. Others cause genital warts.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, is a serious brain infection.

Infections caused by fungi include:

1. Candidiasis
2. Cryptococcal meningitis

Candidiasis is a common infection. It causes a thick, white coating on the mucous membranes of the mouth, tongue, esophagus or vagina. Cryptococcal meningitis causes inflammation of the membranes and fluid around the brain and spinal cord.

Infections caused by parasites include:

1. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP)
2. Toxoplasmosis
3. Cryptosporidiosis


Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, or PCP, attacks the lungs. This makes it difficult for the person to breathe. Toxoplasmosis causes serious and deadly brain lesions. Toxoplasmosis is a parasite spread mostly by cats.

Cryptosporidiosis is caused by an intestinal parasite usually found in animals. It is passed to humans through contaminated food. The parasite grows in the intestines and bile ducts and can cause severe
diarrhea that does not go away.