AIDS
What is AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in humans.
What are the Symptoms of AIDS
Many people do not experience any symptoms when they are first infected with HIV. Some people have a flu-like illness within a month or two of exposure to the virus for example, the early symptoms for some people may include fever, headache, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes (organs of the immune system). These symptoms usually disappear within 14 weeks and may be mistaken for another viral infection. This is a very infectious stage, and HIV is present in large quantities in genital secretions
For others, more persistent or severe symptoms may not appear for a decade or more after HIV first enters the body. Symptoms can include:
- Lack of energy.
- Weight loss
- Frequent fevers and sweats
- Persistent or frequent yeast infections (oral or vaginal)
- Persistent skin rashes or flaky skin
- Skin lesions
- Pelvic inflammatory disease that does not respond to treatment
- Short-term memory loss
What are the Causes of AIDS
HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk. This transmission can come in the form of anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, or other exposure to one of the above bodily fluids.
Traditional Medical Treatments for AIDS
There is no cure or vaccine for AIDS/HIV at present,but research is ongoing. The prognosis now is much improved than 10 years ago with the introduction of antiretroviral drugs.Research into HIV infection is ongoing and includes developing and testing HIV vaccines and new therapies for the disease and for some of its associated conditions. More than a dozen HIV vaccines are being tested in people and many other drugs are being developed or tested for HIV infection or AIDS-associated opportunistic infections. Research into determining how HIV damages the immune system is providing valuable insights into new and more effective targets for drugs and vaccines.
Complementaty/Alternative Treatments for AIDS
Various forms of alternative medicine have been tried to treat symptoms or alter the course of the disease. In the first decade of the epidemic when no useful conventional treatment was available, a large number of people with AIDS experimented with alternative therapies. The definition of "alternative therapies" in AIDS has changed since that time. Then, the phrase often referred to community-driven treatments, untested by government or pharmaceutical company research, that some hoped would directly suppress the virus or stimulate immunity against it. Examples of alternative medicine that people hoped would improve their symptoms or their quality of life include massage, stress management, herbal and flower remedies such as boxwood and acupuncture, when used with conventional treatment, many now refer to these as "complementary" approaches. Despite the widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine by people living with HIV/AIDS, the effectiveness of these therapies has not been established.