How do you know if you are infected with AIDS. How do you know what you are sick with? If signs appear in the form of inflammation of the lymph nodes, then they appear throughout the body

Almost half of those living with HIV people do not know about it, therefore it is necessary to know how to determine HIV at home. The disease caused by this pathogen has a number of symptoms that will help to recognize the infection at an early stage and contribute to an early start of treatment, which will increase the chances of living a long and happy life.

It is necessary to understand that HIV, HIV infection and AIDS are different things, and HIV infection detected in time does not necessarily develop into acquired immune deficiency syndrome. How to recognize the disease at an early stage in order to start treatment on time? To do this, you need to know the first symptoms of the disease and how to acquire an infection.

How can you get HIV?

The most common ways to contract the disease are known to everyone:

• unprotected intercourse;
• injecting drug use;
• through the blood or other secretions of an HIV-infected person;
• transmission from a nursing or pregnant mother to a child;
• professional infection;
• transfusion of infected blood.

According to statistics, from 70% to 80% of all people infected with HIV received the virus through sexual contact.

At the same time, the risk of becoming infected during sex with a partner whose HIV status is unknown is no more than 0.15%. According to research, a woman is about 3 times more likely to become infected than a man.

Most in a simple way to protect yourself from infection is to abstain from unprotected contacts and refusal to use drugs.

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How to recognize HIV by the first symptoms?

The human immunodeficiency virus develops in the body gradually, but at the same time it immediately begins to destroy lymphocytes - blood particles, which are one of the key links of the immune system. On average, the development of infection occurs within 10 years and has several stages:

• window period;
• acute phase;
• latency period;
• pre-AIDS;
• AIDS.

The first stage is characterized only by the production of antibodies in the body and lasts from two weeks to one year. The disease at this stage can be determined only with the help of a special analysis. In the second stage, the person begins to feel the infection, but it is fleeting. It is at this time that symptoms appear that will help to recognize the infection, but diagnosis during this period is difficult due to the non-specificity of the symptoms, in 96% of cases people experience fever, find themselves with a rash or diarrhea, headache, vomiting and sudden weight loss.

Fungal diseases, such as thrush or neurological symptoms, sometimes appear.It is this stage that many patients later describe as “the most severe flu in their life”, with which it is really easy to confuse it.

In the latency period, all symptoms disappear, and it seems to the person that he is completely healthy.

The only thing that accompanies this stage, which can last from 5 to 10 years, is an increase lymph nodesbut it is difficult to recognize HIV by this symptom alone.

At the pre-AIDS stage, thrush usually appears in the mouth and genitals, herpes on the mucous membranes practically does not go away and stomatitis - sores on the lips and in oral cavity.

There are other ways how to detect HIV at home - these are special express immunodeficiency tests, which can be done independently and confidentially.

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Home HIV tests

Tests for the recognition of HIV are usually of two types - this is the determination of antibodies to the virus or the detection of proteins characteristic of its presence, the so-called markers. Test results are of three kinds: positive, when markers are found; negative when they are not and doubtful. In the latter case, some markers are present in the analyzed material, but not all, therefore the result is not considered positive and must be rechecked.

IN last years tests that can be used at home appeared and even began to spread in developed countries. They belong to the category of express tests, the result appears within 1-20 minutes. To carry out such a test, it is necessary to take a scraping from the oral cavity using a special spatula and place it in a container with a reagent. After 20 minutes, the result will be known.

The sad thing is that home tests for HIV have not yet reached Russia, so you can only get tested for the virus in a hospital. This is often not allowed to maintain confidentiality, which is why fewer and fewer people prefer to go to health facilities to find out their HIV status. But medical diagnostics has its advantages as well. Having received a positive result, the patient immediately receives all the necessary information and psychological assistance, he will not be able to deliberately infect or harm anyone.

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What you need to know about HIV testing?

The easiest way to protect yourself from this terrible disease is to come to the Clinical Diagnostic Center at regular intervals. Most often, antibodies that are detected in the blood or saliva of a person, indicating the presence of an infection, do not appear immediately after infection, but within 3 months, so it is necessary to take the test regularly, even after a long period from the expected moment of infection.

It is easy to donate blood for HIV - for this you need to contact a therapist at your place of residence and tell about your intention. Any central district hospital is equipped with appropriate laboratory instruments, which makes it possible to perform the test in rural areas.

You can take the analysis in any city clinic, and it is completely free of charge. Anonymous testing rooms are opening all over Russia, you can come there even without a passport, and such a survey is also carried out free of charge.

In some cases, HIV testing is mandatory. For example, in modern maternity hospitals, since an infant can inherit the virus from the mother, and due to weak immunity, it will quickly develop to the stage of AIDS. The possibility of such infection must be foreseen in advance. Medical workers who, when working in emergency situations and patients with undetermined HIV status are at risk of contracting the virus.

It is important to remember that HIV test results can be false positive. If there is a positive result, the patient is most often sent for re-analysis and is guided by his indicators. The error can be affected by pregnancy, the presence chronic diseases, violations in the work of immunity and even technical errors of medical personnel. Antibodies to HIV can be observed in pregnant women and children under the age of one and a half years, born to HIV-infected women, with diabetes mellitus or oncological processes. False positive result is detected during subsequent diagnostics, and the HIV test is repeated after the cause of the violation has been eliminated.

Today, many women and men around the world are suffering from HIV and AIDS. HIV is an immunodeficiency virus that results in HIV infection. Its last stage is AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Unfortunately, currently the number of HIV-infected men and women is only increasing every day. You can't even imagine how many lives this disease takes annually. This problem is large, so we decided to talk about it, and we hope that after reading the article you will draw the right conclusions for yourself.

How do you know if you are HIV positive?

This infection has its own stages of development and symptoms. If at least one of the symptoms takes place, no matter how much a person thinks that he is healthy, we can assume that the infection has overtaken him. We list the stages of development of the disease and the symptoms at each of them.

1. Incubation period. It can last from 20 to 90 days, very rarely up to a year. At this stage, the virus is actively multiplying, but there is still no response of the immune system to it, therefore the patient is unlikely to notice the symptoms. The incubation period ends or clinical course acute HIV infection, or the penetration of HIV antibodies into the blood. The incubation period requires a serum diagnosis in order to detect the virus (DNA particles or antigens).

2. The first manifestations of infection. At the second stage, the body's reactions to the virus are already manifested in the form of an immune response (production of specific antibodies) or a clinic of acute infection. At this stage, both men and women may have no symptoms at all, and serological diagnostics for antibodies to the virus may be the only sign that an infection is present and is developing rapidly. The course of clinical manifestations of the second stage occurs as an acute HIV infection. Acute onset is observed in 60-90% of patients in the first 3 months after infection, often ahead of the formation of the body's defense against HIV, that is, the production of antibodies. Acute infection, which has only the first pathologies, is quite varied. This includes symptoms such as rashes (polymorphic) on the dermis and visible mucous membranes, pharyngitis, polylymphadenitis, diarrhea, lienal syndrome, and fever. In 9-13% of people, after infection, due to a weakened immune system, other diseases appear, for example, pneumonia, herpes, tonsillitis, fungal infections.

3. Stage of latency. Comes after the manifestation of infection. It is characterized by a constant weakening of immunity, and therefore an increase in immunodeficiency. At this stage, the death of immune cells occurs. How many of them die, the body compensates for them with intensive production. During this period, the symptoms make it possible to identify HIV with the help serological reactions... Enlargement of several lymph nodes (not including the inguinal) from different groupscompletely unrelated to each other may be a clinical sign of infection. At the same time, no other pathological changes are noted. The duration of the latent stage is from two to three years to twenty or more. Its average duration is six to seven years.

4. Secondary diseases. After a certain period of time, infections of bacterial, protozoal, fungal genesis occur, again due to the patient's weak immunity. There are three periods of the stage, depending on the secondary diseases:

• 4A. Weight loss by no more than 10%, there are lesions of the skin (fungal, viral and bacterial), performance decreases.
• 4B. Weight loss exceeds 10% of total body weight, fever, prolonged causeless diarrhea, and pulmonary tuberculosis is also possible. Relapse and progress infectious diseases "On the face", evidence of infection is hairy leukoplakia and Kaposi's sarcoma.
• 4B. Patients note general cachexia (extreme exhaustion of the body), if the primary infection did not acquire generalized forms, then the secondary one acquires them. After a certain period of time after infection at this stage, there is Pneumocystis pneumonia, candidiasis of the respiratory tract and esophagus, neurological disorders, disseminated (common) Kaposi's sarcoma, as well as extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

Secondary diseases that develop in a patient in the terminal (last) stage of HIV infection become irreversible (AIDS), the patient can be treated as much as necessary, but the treatment will be ineffective, and after a couple of months, death occurs. HIV can be quite diverse, all stages and symptoms do not have to take place - the absence of certain clinical signs, in both women and men, is quite normal. The duration of the disease ranges from one month to twenty years, and depends on the individual clinical course.

Characteristics of the pathogen

This virus belongs to the genus Lentivirus (slow) of the Retroviridae family (retroviruses). HIV is divided into two types: the first is the causative agent of HIV infection, the main cause of the pandemic and the development of AIDS; the second is not widespread, it can be found only in West Africa. HIV is not a persistent virus. Being outside the host's body, after a certain period of time it quickly dies, it is very sensitive to the effects of temperature (when heated to 80 degrees, it dies in 10 minutes, and reduces its infectious properties already at a temperature of 56 degrees). The virus has a highly variable antigenic structure.

The carrier and the person with AIDS are the source and reservoir of HIV. In high concentrations, the virus can be contained in the blood, menstrual flow and secretions of the vaginal glands of women, male sperm. It can be secreted from saliva, milk of lactating women, cerebrospinal fluid and lacrimal secretions, but, unlike the previous ones, these biological fluids do not pose a serious epidemiological hazard. The infection can be transmitted through blood transfusion, sexual intercourse and some other means. How long it will take before infection, no one can say for sure, because everything depends on the human body.

Summing up, we can conclude that HIV infection is a disease caused by the immunodeficiency virus of men or women. The infection is characterized by the syndrome of acquired immunodeficiency, after which new diseases appear in a person after a while and existing ones become aggravated, and how long he has to live is unknown. As a result, there is a deep suppression of the body's protective properties, and the disease develops into AIDS.

We hope that after reading this you will understand that HIV and AIDS are terrible diseases, and you can prevent their occurrence. Think how many women and men die due to promiscuity, and how many more will die if inactive. When this problem touches, it is too late to fix anything. Fortunately, today there are contraceptives with which you can protect yourself from contracting AIDS.

Among the most common diseases, colds and acute respiratory viral infections rank first. But often people are confused and do not know how to define the flu, the reason for this is the similarity of symptoms. It's time to know the main differences, which we will now do.

Most of us, due to medical illiteracy, call any sneeze, a cough, a cold. However, acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections, influenza - different states, as a result of which there are consequences of various severity. First you need to figure out how these diseases arise in order to know exactly how to determine the flu or cold.

Cold - symptoms occur after hypothermia, prolonged walking in wet shoes, due to a draft, cold. The disease often manifests itself if a person has a suppressed immune response due to the course of chronic diseases, improper lifestyle, diet.

Influenza should be distinguished from other acute respiratory viral infections in order to properly treat the disease

Influenza is one of the varieties of ARVI. Scientists have counted more than 250 types of viruses, including the entero-, rino-, adeno-, coronavirus, parainfluenza and other infectious microorganisms known to us. But the flu develops in a completely different way, and you can distinguish it from a cold by the following signs.

How to tell if you have a flu or a cold

1. A cold occurs not due to infection, but a weakening of the immune system, cold, drafts.
2. A person who has a cold immediately has a sneezing, a runny nose, and a slight cough.
3. Deterioration of the condition can develop only in case of too weak immunity, and a cold can also provoke an exacerbation of chronic diseases. But mostly within 7-10 days it goes away without causing complications.

How to identify flu symptoms

The disease is difficult, causing dangerous complications. Acute respiratory infection occurs when infected through the air, when a sick person coughs, sneezes.

1. Light form... The virus enters the body through the mouth, nose, in rare cases through the conjunctiva, settles on the mucous membrane and multiplies. Therefore, the first symptom is perspiration, dry cough, nasal congestion, headache.
2. The form moderate ... The second step of pathogens is the introduction of cells into the epithelium and spread throughout the body. Once the virus enters the bloodstream, the immune system begins to fight it. The destroyed viruses and part of healthy cells are powerful toxins that poison our body. For this reason and due to the inclusion of protective functions, there is: heat, increased headache, accession of muscle, joint pain, dizziness, lacrimation, cramps in the eyes.
3. Severe and hypertoxic form manifests itself through a temperature above 40 degrees, severe pain. If the symptoms are joined by convulsions, a small, red rash all over the body, hallucinations, that is, the risk of joining bacterial infection and complications such as meningitis, pneumonia, encephalitis, etc.

Important: if the first symptoms appear - pain in the head, lethargy, high temperature - urgently see a doctor and undergo a course of adequate treatment.

It is advisable to consult a doctor already at the first signs of illness

How to understand the flu or cold in a child

SARS is dangerous not by symptoms, but by its exacerbations. The risk group includes young children and the elderly. The former have not yet developed immunity, especially if the baby is bottle-fed. Those who feed on breast milk, mainly up to 6 months of age, do not get sick with acute viral pathologies, since all enzymes, trace elements, minerals and vitamins are present in milk, which create protection against pathogens.

When a baby is infected, the problem is that he cannot talk about his feelings. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the following points that should cause concern for parents:

• The baby refuses to eat, drink - the symptom occurs due to pain and swelling in the throat.
• The child is constantly crying, tears flow from his eyes even at rest.
• The skin turns pale, cyanosis occurs in the nasolabial triangle.

Elderly people require a special approach in the treatment of ARVI, colds. Due to their age, their bodies are not able to withstand the viral attack with all its might. In these cases, prevention and timely treatment of chronic diseases is important.

How to identify the influenza virus: diagnosis

Thanks to the latest technology, nowadays it is possible to easily determine the type of influenza virus, as a result of which exactly the treatment is undertaken that will bring the maximum effect.

• Specific diagnostics - aimed at identifying the virus and determining its genetic type. Sputum, smear, washings from the nasal mucosa, throat are examined, in extreme cases cerebrospinal fluid, the result is known within 1-2 days.
• Sowing material on a chicken embryo - the study is carried out for 7 days.
• Serological diagnostics using IFL or ELISA - the antigen of the virus is detected in the biomaterial.
• Polymerase reaction (chain) - in a matter of hours, viral RNA is recognized, used in large-scale epidemics.
• The serological method allows detecting antigens 2-3 hours after collection of the biomaterial.
• A quick test - ICA - reveals the property of antibodies to adhere to antigens in a selective (specific) order. result in 10 minutes.

A doctor should make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

How to know if you have the flu

First of all, you need to pay attention to the situation as a whole. If, against the background of another outbreak of the epidemic, there is a headache, drowsiness, a feeling of sore throat - all the symptoms of the disease are present. When infected, swelling occurs, a stuffy nose, weakness, and fatigue. Signs should be a signal for action - to see a doctor and adequate therapy for all symptoms of the disease.

Flu treatment

For the extermination of colonies of pathogenic microorganisms, antiviral therapy is being undertaken. In this case, drugs such as Remantadine, Amantadine are suitable.

• The state of the immune system is of great importance, and if it is in a deplorable order, then it is necessary to use immunostimulating and immunomodulatory agents: Viferon, Kipferon. The drugs stimulate the body's production of its own interferon, a protein that is part of immune cells.

Viferon and Kipferon are effective immunostimulants

Important: with flu, one of the main symptoms is a high fever, indicating an active phase of the body's fight against viruses. Doctors are not recommended to bring it down to the 38.5 mark, otherwise complications may be launched, leading to a more severe course of the disease.

• To reduce the temperature, paracetamol-based agents are prescribed, Ibuprofen, which also have anti-inflammatory, analgesic properties.
• For expectoration, sputum dilution, mucolytics or bronchodilators are prescribed (depending on the type of cough - dry or wet): Bronholitin, Mukaltin, Sinekod, Gerbion, etc.
• It is also prescribed to take antispasmodics, antihistamines, combination drugs, thanks to which all symptoms are removed - swelling, itching, pain, inflammatory processes.

Prevention of respiratory infectious diseases

As we already know, viruses attack the body faster when the immune system is suppressed. A person can only strengthen his inner potential himself and for this it is necessary to take simple measures:

1. Lead a healthy lifestyle... It would seem that a banal phrase carries enormous benefits. A person should be active, go in for sports, jogging, swimming, walking. Even walks in the evenings in the open, fresh air increase blood flow, each cell receives the necessary oxygen and is constantly regenerated, which means that the immune system is strengthened.
2. Eat right... Immunity is formed in the digestive tract. When consuming fried, smoked, salty foods, preservation, baking, sweet, alcohol, we suppress the work of the liver, stomach, kidneys. The metabolism is disrupted, the pancreas malfunctions. The consequence is the development of chronic diseases and the inability of the body to develop powerful immunity. Switching to a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, steamed fish, white meat, legumes, herbs, dairy products will improve metabolic processes, stimulates the production of cellular protein to strengthen internal strength.
3. To give up smoking... Tobacco smoke clogs airways, blood clots occur, stagnant processes, the body is poisoned by toxins. Already in 1 week after giving up cigarettes, a person feels lightness, the sense of smell, energy, vigor is restored.
4. Drink... Doctors say everyone should drink at least 2 liters of water a day. The same goes for babies, albeit in smaller numbers. Water is the source of life, as well as the main "brush" for the body. The liquid removes toxins, nourishes cells, moisturizes mucous membranes, and regulates heat exchange. In addition to water, herbal teas, compotes, fruit drinks, juices, chicken broth, fish soup, light soups are suitable.

Drinking 2 liters of fluid a day will help strengthen the body's defenses.

And the most important thing, don't forget about immunization... Thanks to one vaccination, during the whole season you can not worry about your health and feel great. It is necessary to be vaccinated in an official medical institution, while requiring a certificate for the drug and undergoing a preliminary examination by the attending physician.

The human immunodeficiency virus belongs to the group of retroviruses, provoking the development of HIV infection. This disease can proceed in several stages, each of which differs in the clinical picture, the intensity of manifestations.

Stages of HIV

Stages of development of HIV infection:

• incubation period;
• primary manifestations - acute infection, asymptomatic and generalized lymphadenopathy;
• secondary manifestations - lesions internal organs persistent nature, damage to the skin and mucous membranes, diseases of the generalized type;
• terminal stage.

According to statistics, HIV infection is most often diagnosed at the stage of secondary manifestations and this is due to the fact that the symptoms of HIV become pronounced and begin to bother the patient precisely during this period of the course of the disease.

At the first stage of the development of HIV infection, certain symptoms may also be present, but they, as a rule, proceed in mild form, the clinical picture is blurred, and the patients themselves do not turn to doctors for such "trifles". But there is one more nuance - even if the patient applies for a qualified medical help at the first stage of the course of HIV infection, specialists may not diagnose the pathology. Moreover, at this stage of the development of the disease in question, the symptoms will be the same in men and women - this often confuses doctors. And only at the secondary stage it is quite realistic to hear the diagnosis of HIV infection, and the symptoms will be individual for men and women.

How long does it take to manifest HIV

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The first signs of HIV infection go unnoticed, but they are there. And they appear on average in the period from 3 weeks to 3 months after infection. A longer period is also possible.

Signs of secondary manifestations of the disease in question can also appear only many years after infection with HIV, but manifestations can also occur within 4-6 months from the moment of infection.

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After a person has contracted HIV infection, there are no symptoms and even small hints of the development of any pathology long time not visible. It is precisely this period that is called the incubation period, it can last, in accordance with the classification of V.I. Pokrovsky, from 3 weeks to 3 months.

No examinations and laboratory research biomaterials (serological, immunological, hematological tests) will not help to identify HIV infection, and the infected person himself does not look sick at all. But it is the incubation period, without any manifestations, that poses a particular danger - a person serves as a source of infection.

Some time after infection, the patient begins an acute phase of the disease - the clinical picture during this period may become a reason for the diagnosis of HIV infection "in doubt."

The first manifestations of HIV infection in the acute phase of the course strongly resemble the symptoms of mononucleosis. They appear on average in the period from 3 weeks to 3 months from the moment of infection. These include:

When examining the patient, the doctor can determine a slight increase in the size of the spleen and liver - the patient, by the way, may complain of recurrent pain in the right hypochondrium. Skin the patient may be covered small rash - pale pink spots that do not have clear boundaries. Often there are complaints from infected people and about prolonged stool disturbance - they are tormented by diarrhea, which is not relieved even by specific medications and changes in the diet.

Please note: with this course of the acute phase of HIV infection, lymphocytes / leukocytes in an increased amount and mononuclear cells of an atypical appearance will be detected in the blood.

The above signs of the acute phase of the disease in question can be observed in 30% of patients. Another 30-40% of patients live an acute phase in the development of serous meningitis or encephalitis - the symptoms will be radically different from those already described: nausea, vomiting, an increase in body temperature to critical indicators, a powerful headache.

Often, the first symptom of HIV infection is esophagitis, an inflammatory process in the esophagus, characterized by swallowing problems and chest pain.

In whatever form the acute phase of HIV infection proceeds, after 30-60 days all symptoms disappear - often the patient thinks that he is completely cured, especially if this period of pathology was almost asymptomatic or their intensity was low (and this can also be ).

During the course of this stage of the disease in question, there are no symptoms - the patient feels great, does not consider it necessary to appear in medical institution for preventive examination. But it is at the stage of asymptomatic course that antibodies to HIV can be detected in the blood! This makes it possible to diagnose pathology at one of the early stages of development and begin adequate, effective treatment.

The asymptomatic stage of HIV infection can last for several years, but only if the patient's immune system has not been significantly affected. The statistics are rather contradictory - only 30% of patients within 5 years after the asymptomatic course of HIV infection begin to show symptoms of the following stages, but in some infected people the asymptomatic stage of the course proceeds rapidly, lasts no more than 30 days.

This stage is characterized by an increase in almost all groups of lymph nodes, this process does not affect only inguinal lymph nodes... It is noteworthy that it is generalized lymphadenopathy that can become the main symptom of HIV infection, if all previous stages of the development of the disease in question proceeded without any manifestations.

Lymphosules increase by 1-5 cm, remain mobile and painless, and the surface of the skin above them has absolutely no signs of a pathological process. But with such a pronounced symptom as an increase in lymph node groups, the standard causes of this phenomenon are excluded. And here, too, there is a danger - some doctors classify lymphadenopathy as difficult to explain.

The stage of generalized lymphadenopathy lasts 3 months, about 2 months after the onset of the stage, the patient begins to lose weight.

Secondary manifestations

It often happens that it is the secondary manifestations of HIV infection that serve as the basis for a high-quality diagnosis. Secondary manifestations include:

The patient notes a sudden increase in body temperature, he has a dry, obsessive cough, which eventually turns into a wet one. The patient develops intense shortness of breath with minimal physical activity, and general state the patient is rapidly deteriorating. Therapy carried out using antibacterial drugs (antibiotics), positive effect does not give.

Generalized infection

These include herpes, tuberculosis, cytomegalovirus infection, candidiasis. Most often, women are ill with these infections, and against the background of the human immunodeficiency virus, they are extremely difficult.

Kaposi's sarcoma

It is a neoplasm / tumor that develops from the lymphatic vessels. More often diagnosed in men, it has the appearance of multiple tumors of a characteristic cherry color, located on the head, trunk and in the mouth.

Damage to the central nervous system

At first, this is manifested only by small memory problems, a decrease in concentration. But in the course of the development of pathology, the patient develops dementia.

Features of the first signs of HIV infection in women

If infection with the human immunodeficiency virus occurs in a woman, then secondary symptoms will most likely manifest themselves in the form of development, progression of generalized infections - herpes, candidiasis, cytomegalovirus infection, tuberculosis.

Often secondary manifestations of HIV infection begin with a banal disorder menstrual cycle, inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs can develop - for example, salpingitis. Often diagnosed and oncological diseases cervix - carcinoma or dysplasia.

Features of HIV infection in children

Children who were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus during pregnancy (in utero from the mother) have some peculiarities during the course of the disease. First, the disease begins to develop at 4-6 months of age. Secondly, the earliest and main symptom of HIV infection during intrauterine infection is considered a disorder of the central nervous system - the baby lags behind his peers in physical and mental development... Third, children with human immunodeficiency virus are susceptible to the progression of disorders digestive system and the appearance of purulent diseases.

The human immunodeficiency virus is still an unexplored disease - too many questions arise in both diagnosis and treatment. But doctors say that only the patients themselves can detect HIV infection at an early stage - they must closely monitor their health and undergo periodic preventive examinations. Even if the symptoms of HIV infection are hidden, the disease develops - only a timely test analysis will help save the patient's life for several years.

Answers to popular questions about HIV

Due to the large number of requests from our readers, we decided to group the most common questions and answers to them in one section.

Signs of HIV infection appear approximately 3 weeks to 3 months after exposure. Fever, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes in the first days after infection can indicate any pathology, except for the human immunodeficiency virus. During this period (doctors call it incubation), not only are there no symptoms of HIV, but deep laboratory blood tests will not give a positive result.

Yes, unfortunately, this is rare, but it happens (in about 30% of cases): a person does not notice any characteristic symptoms during the acute phase, and then the disease goes into a latent phase (this is, in fact, an asymptomatic course for about 8-10 years ).

Most modern screening tests are based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) - this is the "gold standard" of diagnosis, while an accurate result can be expected no earlier than 3 to 6 months after infection. Therefore, the analysis must be taken twice: 3 months after a possible infection and then another 3 months later.

First, you need to take into account the period that has passed after a potentially dangerous contact - if less than 3 weeks have passed, then these symptoms may indicate a banal cold.

Secondly, if more than 3 weeks have already passed after a possible infection, then you should not make yourself nervous - just wait and 3 months after a dangerous contact to undergo a specific examination.

Third, fever and swollen lymph nodes are not “classic” signs of HIV infection! Often, the first manifestations of the disease are expressed by pain in the chest and a burning sensation in the esophagus, a violation of the stool (a person is worried about frequent diarrhea), a pale pink rash on the skin.

The risk of contracting HIV through oral sex is minimized. The fact is that the virus does not survive in the environment, therefore, for oral infection, it is necessary that two conditions come together: there are wounds / abrasions on the partner's penis and wounds / abrasions in the partner's oral cavity. But even these circumstances do not at all lead to HIV infection in every case. For your own peace of mind, you need to pass a specific HIV test 3 months after a dangerous contact and undergo a "control" examination after another 3 months.

There are a number drugswhich are used for post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV. Unfortunately, they are not available for sale, so you have to go to an appointment with a therapist and explain the situation. There is no guarantee that such measures will 100% prevent the development of HIV infection, but experts say that taking such medications is quite advisable - the risk of developing the human immunodeficiency virus is reduced by 70-75%.

If there is no opportunity (or courage) to see a doctor with such a problem, then there is only one thing to do - to wait. You will need to wait 3 months, then undergo an HIV test, and even if the result is negative, it is worth taking a control test after another 3 months.

No you can not! The human immunodeficiency virus does not survive in the environment, therefore, with people who are HIV-positive, you can do not hesitate to share utensils, bed linen, visit the pool and sauna.

There are risks of infection, but they are quite small. So, with a single vaginal intercourse without a condom, the risk is 0.01 - 0.15%. With oral sex, the risks are from 0.005 to 0.01%, with anal sex - from 0.065 to 0.5%. Such statistics are given in clinical protocols for the WHO European Region on HIV / AIDS treatment and care (p. 523).

In medicine, cases have been described when married couples, where one of the spouses was HIV-infected, had sexual intercourse without using condoms for several years, and the second spouse remained healthy.

If during intercourse a condom was used, it was used according to the instructions and remained intact, then the risk of HIV infection is minimized. If, after 3 or more months after a dubious contact, symptoms resembling HIV infection appear, then you just need to contact a therapist. An increase in temperature, an increase in lymph nodes may indicate the development of ARVI and other diseases. For your own reassurance, it is worth taking an HIV test.

To answer this question, you need to know at what time and how many times such an analysis was submitted:

• a negative result in the first 3 months after a dangerous contact cannot be accurate, doctors talk about a false negative result;
• negative response to HIV testing after 3 months from the moment of dangerous contact - most likely the subject is not infected, but it is imperative to do another test 3 months after the first for control;
• negative response to HIV analysis 6 months or more after dangerous contact - the subject is not infected.

The risks in this case are extremely small - the virus quickly dies in the environment, therefore, even if the blood of an infected person remains on the needle, it is almost impossible to become infected with HIV by wounding with such a needle. There can be no virus in the dried biological fluid (blood). However, after 3 months, and then again - after another 3 months - it is still worth getting tested for HIV.

Tsygankova Yana Alexandrovna, medical commentator, therapist of the highest qualification category.

AIDS, caused by HIV infection, is one of the worst diseases in the world. Why is everything so serious with HIV? It's about irreversible damage caused by the virus the immune system infected: as the disease develops, the body ceases to resist infection, everything ends in death.

An additional difficulty is that HIV symptoms, which are often mistaken for signs of a common cold, do not manifest themselves immediately, but only after the end of the incubation period. Among the additional disappointing facts: the minimum infectious dose, relatively simple conditions of infection, frightening symptoms of AIDS.

That is why it is very important to learn about the presence of HIV in the body as early as possible. How to understand that a virus attacked you? - you ask. In order to "recognize the enemy by sight", you need to know everything about him, in particular, to understand what happens in the body of the infected from the moment of infection until the usual end of the clinical case.

What happens to a person in whose body the human immunodeficiency virus has settled? The first manifestations of HIV occur after the incubation period. This means that at least 3 weeks must pass after infection for a person to notice the first alarming symptoms.

The period of the first manifestations of developing HIV infection falls on the 2nd stage of the disease. If you're lucky, with the appearance early symptoms the patient will seek medical attention. However, the often observed symptomatology is equated to clinical manifestations flu, SARS, mononucleosis. The patient complains about muscle pain, chills, his temperature rises, lymph nodes in the neck increase. The average duration of the stage is 1 year.

This is followed by the latent stage, which is characterized by the asymptomatic course of HIV. However, antibodies to the virus are already present in the patient's blood, and they can be detected during diagnosis.

Generalized lymphadenopathy is the stage of obvious manifestation of HIV. The patient discovers a significant increase in lymph nodes throughout the body (except for the groin). This symptom prompts the patient to visit a doctor, especially if HIV symptoms have not previously manifested themselves.

On average, after 3 months, the disease flows into the stage of secondary manifestations. It becomes much more difficult for the patient to cope with the symptoms that appear. During this period, a whole "bouquet" of secondary diseases develops (generalized infections, Kaposi's sarcoma, central nervous system lesions, etc.), accompanied by the corresponding symptoms.

The next step is the thermal stage or AIDS. During this period, there is an exacerbation of all existing ailments, the development of which most often leads to the appearance of acute liver failure... AIDS proceeds in several stages, each of which brings the patient closer to certain death.

Ways of transmission

Before deep acquaintance with the clinical picture (signs of infection) of HIV, let us touch on the topic of the ways of transmission of the virus.

People infected with HIV are the main source of infection at any stage of the disease, including the incubation period (when HIV is not yet manifested). The most dangerous periods of the disease in relation to the possibility of transmission of the virus are the end of the incubation period, the time of the primary symptoms and the late stage of the disease.

The habitat of the infection is the biological fluids of patients. These are blood, semen, vaginal discharge and breast milk sick.

Attention! Viral particles can also be found in other substrates (tears, saliva, sweat). However, the concentration of the virus in them is negligible, so it is practically impossible to become infected in this way.

From the above, we conclude: there are three ways of HIV infection:

1. Sexual. The virus enters the body as a result of unprotected sex with a sick person.
2. Parenteral (through blood).
3. Vertical. HIV is transmitted to the baby during childbirth or through breast milk.

Historical summary: monkeys carrying HIV

Where the human immunodeficiency virus originated, when the first symptoms of the "plague of the 21st century" appeared, and how the chain of HIV infections began is unknown. The general version of scientists and historians is as follows: the initial infection with the human immunodeficiency virus came from chimpanzees. The epidemic spread across the world after several men killed and ate HIV-infected animals.

The facts about the caught sick chimpanzees can testify to the above. Animals in Africa were carriers of a virus that was very similar to AIDS.

Features of HIV symptoms: typical symptoms in men and women

What are the specific symptoms of an HIV-infected woman that might indicate an illness? How to recognize a "sore"? Primary manifestations are reduced to an increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees a few weeks after infection. Hyperthermia can disturb the patient for 2-10 days.

The list of the very first symptoms of HIV infection is supplemented by signs characteristic of SARS and influenza: cough, pain in the larynx. Then symptoms of intoxication will appear:

• weakness;
• muscle pain;
• migraine;
• night sweats.

The first symptoms of HIV appear against the background of enlarged lymph nodes. Inflammatory processes begin to develop. This is evidenced by the cervical nodes, then there will be an increase in the occipital, axillary.

Attention! As a result of HIV infection and the development of the disease, women may experience vomiting and nausea, spasmodic pain syndrome.

The main symptoms of the disease in men are similar to the manifestations of the disease in women. The onset of the course of the disease is accompanied by the appearance of a red rash (colorless spots) on the body. Further, the clinical picture is identical.

Then the disease "gains momentum" is observed damage to the mucous membrane of the lips, scalp, etc.

In the future, we will focus on the symptoms observed in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Clinical pictures HIV and AIDS (AIDS) are different.

The first symptoms of AIDS

Full confidence in the diagnosis in a patient appears when the first signs of AIDS appear: if the manifestation of the first signs of HIV infection can be overlooked, then the first signs of AIDS will not be ignored. Symptoms of the disease occur during the thermal stage, when the patient's immunity is no longer able to resist the virus.

Are there differences in symptoms between the opposite sexes? The symptoms of the disease are identical. Differences can only be in the first signs of AIDS, which are associated with ailments genitourinary system.

The symptoms of the disease will be determined externally and identified in the laboratory. AIDS occurs in 4 forms:

1. Pulmonary (development of pneumocystis pneumonia).
2. Intestinal (against the background of temperature, diarrhea appears, signs of dehydration).
3. With skin lesions in women and men (the formation of ulcers and erosions, provoking severe pain, discomfort).
4. With damage to the central nervous system.

Diagnostics

Having found out after what time the first signs of AIDS (HIV) appear and how AIDS manifests itself, let's move on to the topic of diagnostics.

With the ingestion of an infectious dose into the blood in some patients, the first symptoms "come" after 3 weeks, in others 3 months after a dangerous contact (with the beginning of the production of antibodies to the virus in the cells of the body). However, the only alarming signal may be a significant increase in lymph nodes (lymph node in the armpit, neck) during the period of generalized lymphadenopathy.

In any case, they resort to one or more diagnostic methods, while determining the level of viral RNA, the degree of damage to leukocytes, lymphocytes - the patient's body response to the virus is assessed.

Primarily resort to enzyme immunoassay of blood. With a repeated positive result, it is necessary for the patient to pass another one - immunoblotting.

How quickly AIDS manifests itself: features of the incubation period

Is there an algorithm for detecting HIV on early stages? During the incubation period, a sick person cannot be determined for at least several weeks: there are no signs of AIDS during this period.

How then do you know if you are sick or not? The only thing that can be done if an infection is suspected: pay close attention to your health (check the size of the lymph nodes, promptly determine the causes of sudden malaise, sweating, for any form of illness, contact a doctor). So, if the experiences were preceded by unprotected sex, it will not be superfluous to pass all the recommended examinations a few weeks after the ABO.

Attention! An infected person is often confused by the "simplicity" of the symptoms that appear. Be vigilant, do not go on about the false harmlessness of signs!

Drug treatment

What is meant by HIV treatment? Treatment of HIV infection or treatment of AIDS includes a set of measures to slow down the development of the disease. To cure the disease, even under the supervision of the best attending physician, is currently not possible. Treatment of AIDS involves monitoring the immune status, adherence to preventive measures and treatment of secondary diseases.

The surest line of therapy for HIV is taking antiretroviral drugs. To be treated with drugs such as Zidovudine, Nevirapine and Didanosine are recognized as the most effective.

However, it is worth remembering that medications do not affect the result - the death of HIV patients is inevitable today.

Prevention

To prevent AIDS treatment, simple preventive measures must be followed. They are well known and sound like this:

• have an orderly sex life (use a condom);
• stop taking drugs;
• observe sanitary and hygienic standards for medical and cosmetic manipulations;
• consult a doctor in a timely manner with the development of ailments of the genitourinary system (regardless of the periods of time of development of the disease).

How can you not get infected with HIV?

According to statistics, when having sex without a condom, the risk of contracting the virus is highest. This is followed by cases of infection through the blood and the vertical route.

Do not take a fanatical position and keep away from everyone, for fear of "picking up an infection." Remember: HIV is not transmitted in everyday life (when shaking hands, hugging, at home), through kissing, tears and insect bites.

Innocent genital infections

Unprotected intercourse has an alternative unattractive side. This is about possible risk infection with an innocent genital infection (chlamydia, mycoplasmosis, genital herpes, thrush, human papillomavirus), the symptoms of which may look like manifestations of HIV. The situation is especially serious in the case of infection with an HIV-infected person: with a weakened immunity, the course of such ailments is extremely dangerous.

Attention! With unprotected sexual intercourse, the risk of contracting an STD is 50%.

Prevention of opportunistic infections

In the prevention section, one cannot fail to mention the measures to prevent the development of opportunistic infections. At the secondary stage of HIV development, due to a strong weakening of the immune system, such ailments often become "companions" of the patient. In addition, such infections increase the risk of contracting the virus and the rapid development of AIDS in the patient's body.

There is a clear fact of the need to comply with certain preventive measures against opportunistic infections. These include avoiding raw meat and fish from the diet, taking care of your pets regularly, getting vaccinated against infections, and demonstrating good personal hygiene.