Life

Stages and Symptoms Of HIV

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Source: https://americanpregnancy.org

HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a virus that lives in human blood, sexual fluids, and breast milk. It weakens your immune system which makes your body weaker against infections, germs, fungi, viruses, and other ailments. It can infect a person through unprotected sexual contact and by infected needles that are shared by people. Dirty needles in drug use, tatoos, and body piercing. HIV can develop into AIDS – acquired immune deficiency syndrome , which will eventually lead to death.
HIV infection happens in three stages. Symptoms differ depending on the stage of infection. Treatment is essential as it will get worse without it.

The First Stage: Acute HIV Infection

Most people don’t realize right away when they have been infected with HIV. If you think you have had contact with a person infected with HIV, best to take an HIV test. The symptoms are similar to other viral diseases, and is often compared to the flu. They typically last about a week or two, and then go away. Symptoms to watch for are: headache, aching muscles, fatigue, sore throat, fever, a red rash usually on the torso that does not itch & swollen lymph nodes.
Early testing is vital for two reasons. At this stage, levels of HIV in your blood and body fluids are very high which means they are very contagious. Secondly, early treatment may help boost your immune system and ease the symptoms. Your body’s immune system is putting up a fight so a combination of medications will help fight HIV. Hopefully the medications together with healthy habits will prevent the HIV from getting worse.

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