Aids

AIDS /HIV

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS ) is the progression of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV . AIDS is the final stage of the development of HIV . Without receiving treatment , an HIV infected person usually develops AIDS within ten years (Advert .org , 2007 . In to understand AIDS , you must understand where it comes from : HIV

HIV is a virus , transmitted from one person who is infected to another person who is not infected . HIV attacks the immune system and kills a specific system cell called a CD4 lymphocyte (Advert .org , 2007 . HIV is

br a rapid mutating virus , which helps it form being destroyed by the immune system 's natural defenses

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC , the first human case of HIV appeared in a male from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1959 . It is unknown exactly how he became infected (CDC .gov , 2007 . The CDC stated (2007

For many years scientists theorized as to the origins of HIV and how it appeared in the human population , most believing that HIV originated in other primates . Then in 1999 , an international team of researchers reported that they had discovered the origins of HIV-1 , the predominant strain of HIV in the developed world . A subspecies of chimpanzees native to west equatorial Africa had been identified as the original source of the virus . The researchers believe that HIV-1 was introduced into the human population when hunters became exposed to infected blood (CDC .gov , 2007

In America , the first cases of AIDS occurred in the beginning of the 1980s . There had been a few cases of homosexual men who developed opportunistic cancers or infections that did not respond to treatment attempts . AIDS was not yet named . AIDS was later identified in 1982

There are four main stages that compose HIV infection : primary infection , clinically asymptomatic stage , symptomatic HIV infection , and progression from HIV to AIDS (Advert .org

Primary infection is similar to the flu , with symptoms that are characteristic of the flu virus . This stage only lasts a few weeks During this stage , diagnosis is often missed (Advert .org , 2007

The clinically asymptomatic stage can have an average duration of ten years . There are usually no symptoms during this time . Antibody tests however , can be positive for HIV . The viral load test plays an important role in treatment . It measures the amount of HIV that enters the lymph nodes , where the virus tends to gravitate to (Advert .org 2007

The symptomatic HIV infection stage shows more symptoms . This is because the immune system has been damaged quite a bit more . The symptoms can start out weak and become stronger as the immune system deteriorates further . During this time , many opportunistic infections and cancers appear (Advert .org , 2007

The final stage is the progression from HIV to AIDS . A person with HIV will be diagnosed with AIDS when they develop a low count of T helper cells . They may also be diagnosed with AIDS if they have several opportunistic infections...