What is HIV:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the humans immune system. (Our immune system continuously fights infections and also diseases in the body.) Over time, due to HIV a person's immune system gets weakened so it becomes very hard for the immune system to fight against infections and diseases. HIV causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). People who carry HIV can have it for many years before it turns into AIDS.
AIDS: It is mainly known as the late stage of HIV infection, that basically occurs when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus.
HIV is passed from person to person. The chance of these cases could be when a person with HIV gets his/her semen, blood, vaginal fluid, or breast milk inside another person's body. Getting HIV from the person's urine, tears, sweat, saliva, or vomit is impossible, unless there is also blood in it.
The persons of any sex, age, ethnic group, religion, or sexual orientation can get HIV. It doesn't matter who you are. It is what you do that puts you at risk. Anyone who shares needles, shares works to inject drugs, or has unprotected sex (sex without a condom) with someone who has HIV is at very high risk for getting infected. A mother with HIV can also pass the virus to her baby during pregnancy, during birth, or by breastfeeding.
Symptoms of HIV:
Within a few weeks of HIV infection, flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat and fatigue can occur.
Later, the disease is usually asymptomatic until it progresses to AIDS. Some adverse reactions of AIDS include fever or night sweats, fatigue, weight loss, and recurrent infections.
People may also experience:
Dry Cough
Vomiting
Loss of Appetite
Watery diarrhoea
Ulcers or White tongue
Pain while swallowing
Pain in the abdomen
Swollen lymph nodes
Difficulty swallowing or soreness
How does HIV affect a person's health:
When people initially get the infection of HIV, they may feel sick and also may not. Some patients with HIV infection may get flu-like symptoms, they may get a fever, swollen glands, sore throat, or a skin rash. These signs and symptoms will go away without treatment, but HIV stays in their blood where it starts growing and begins to destroy the immune system. People with HIV can have it for several years before the strength of their immune system gets down and other adverse effects appear. When symptoms occur, people who carry HIV will feel good with treatment. People who are with HIV are more likely to get sick and have illnesses that are quite difficult to treat than people who do not carry HIV. Sometimes people with HIV may get very sick.
Infants who get HIV at the time of birth or get their mother's breast milk may have several symptoms which are as follows:
slow to grow and gain weight.
slow learning to walk and talk.
frequent diarrhea.
swollen glands.
yeast infections (thrush).
enlarged liver and spleen.
pneumonia, a lung infection.
some other infections that healthy children or infants do not usually get.
Infants who are with HIV are more likely to get sick and have illnesses that are tough to treat than other infants.
How to control HIV:
There are not any specified cures for AIDS, but strict adherence to antiretroviral regimens (ARVs) can dramatically help in order to slow the disease progression as well as prevent secondary infections and complications.
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs): These inhibitors block the reverse transcriptase enzyme.
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs): These transcriptase inhibitors bind to and later change the reverse transcriptase enzyme.
Integrase inhibitors: It works by blocking the integrase enzyme.
Protease inhibitors (PIs): It helps in blocking the protease enzyme.
List of medications for HIV: The below enlisted HIV medications mainly prescribed for the treatment of HIV as well as for the treatment of AIDS.
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs):
Combivir (lamivudine and zidovudine)
Descovy (emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate)
Emtriva (emtricitabine Or FTC)
Epivir (lamivudine Or 3TC)
Epzicom (abacavir sulfate and lamivudine)
Retrovir (zidovudine Or AZT)
Temixys (lamivudine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
Trizivir (abacavir sulfate, lamivudine, and zidovudine)
Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
Videx (didanosine)
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs):
Edurant (rilpivirine hydrochloride)
Intelence (etravirine)
Rescriptor (delavirdine mesylate)
Sustiva (efavirenz)
Viramune (nevirapine)
Integrase inhibitors:
Isentress Isentress HD (raltegravir potassium)
Tivicay (dolutegravir sodium)
Protease inhibitors (PIs):
Aptivus (tipranavir)
Crixivan (indinavir sulfate)
Evotaz (atazanavir sulfate and cobicistat)
Invirase (saquinavir mesylate)
Kaletra (lopinavir and ritonavir)
Lexiva (fosamprenavir calcium)
Norvir (ritonavir Or RTV)
Prezista (darunavir ethanolate)
Reyataz (atazanavir sulfate)
Viracept (nelfinavir mesylate)
Combination Medicines: Combination medicines basically include two or more HIV medications. There are different types of combination HIV medications.
Atripla (efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
Biktarvy (bictegravir sodium, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate)
Complera (emtricitabine, rilpivirine hydrochloride, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
Delstrigo (doravirine, lamivudine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
Dovato (dolutegravir sodium and lamivudine)
Genvoya (cobicistat, elvitegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate)
Juluca (dolutegravir sodium and rilpivirine hydrochloride)
Odefsey (emtricitabine, rilpivirine hydrochloride, and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate)
Stribild (cobicistat, elvitegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
Symtuza (cobicistat, darunavir ethanolate, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate)
Triumeq (abacavir sulfate, dolutegravir sodium).
Read:- How to control HIV Infection