Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The HIV infection will gradually destroy the body's immune system.

AIDS is the final and most serious stage of HIV infection. This could take up to 10 years.

The HIV infection weakens the body's immune defenses by destroying CD4 (T-cell) lymphocytes. These are white blood cells that protect against attacks by bacteria, viruses and other harmful pathogens.

When CD4 lymphocytes are destroyed and weakened, opportunistic infections that are normally countered by strong immune responses will meet with little defence. The risk of cancers is also increased. HIV can attack almost every organ. Eventually, the syndrome is fatal; the patient usually dies within one and a half to three years from various infections and cancers.

Symptoms
Usually, the HIV infection may not cause any symptoms at the point of checking. However, the following symptoms may occur:

fever sore throat muscular stiffness or aching headache diarrhoea

swollen lymph glands fatigue rash of various types joint pain

Current treatments
Currently, there is no cure for AIDS. There is treatment that will prolong and improve quality of life.

Reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors are the first group of drugs approved to treat HIV infection. They include AZT (zidovudine), ddC (zalcitabine), ddI (dideoxyinosine), d4T (stavudine), and 3TC (lamivudine). Their action is to suppress the replication of the virus, thus the spread of HIV in the body and the start of opportunistic infections will be delayed.

The second class of drugs is called protease inhibitors. Their mode of action is to interrupt virus replication at a later stage its cycle. Such drugs include ritonavir (Norvir), saquinivir (Invirase), indinavir (Crixivan), and nelfinavir (Viracept), and amprenavir (Agenerase).

Combination or cocktail therapy, using two or more drugs together is often used to prevent HIV becoming resistant to both classes of drugs.

How is HIV transmitted?
HIV has been found in blood, semen, saliva, tears, nervous system tissue, breast milk, and female genital tract secretions. Transmission of the virus occurs through sexual contact including oral, vaginal, and anal sex; via blood through transfusions or needle sharing; and from a pregnant women to the foetus or a nursing mother to her baby.

Prevention
Avoiding promiscuity and intravenous drug use will help prevent HIV infection. Always practise safe sex by using condom (although this does not give 100% protection from HIV) and having one sexual partner. Other transmission methods are rare and include accidental needle injury, artificial insemination through donated semen, and kidney transplantation through the donated kidney.

The infection is NOT spread by casual contact such as hugging and touching, by inanimate objects such as dishes or toilet seats, or by mosquitoes.

Doctor On Duty
The Apollo Clinic Bangalore Koramangala
www.koraclinic.com