HIV and AIDS

HIV and AIDS HIV is a sexually transmitted infection that attacks the immune system and reduces your body’s natural capability to protect itself.

What is HIV?

HIV or human immunodeficiency virus, is a sexually transmitted infection that attacks the immune system, reducing your body's ability to defend itself against illnesses. If it is left untreated, HIV can permanently damage your immune system and turn into AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). HIV is treatable, although not curable, and most people with the virus can live relatively normal lives. However, it is easily spread and there is no cure or vaccine for the infection.

HIV is highly contagious and it can be caught by coming into contact with an infected person's bodily fluid. This is most likely to happen during anal, vaginal or oral sex, but coming into contact with infected needles or blood could also cause the virus to spread. A mother can also pass the condition to her child during birth; and in some countries where donor blood isn't stringently screened, people can become infected as a result of blood transfusions.

The human immunodeficiency virus attacks the white cells in your body, known as CD4 cells, which are present in your blood and are responsible for fighting off infection. The virus ultimately destroys these cells by replicating itself within them. By killing off your white blood cells, the virus is able to clone itself within these dead cells and replicate itself throughout your bloodstream. The virus then eventually weakens and overpowers the immune system and prevents it from being able to protect your body against disease.

Statistics for the virus are relatively low in the UK (almost 90,000), but there are 34 million people living with it all around the world. Although the rate of infection is considerably lower in recent years, this figure continues to grow by roughly 2.7 million a year.

What are the symptoms?

The time between when a person is infected and when symptoms start to appear can vary greatly. Some people notice symptoms within a year of infection, while many people can remain asymptomatic for up to 20 years. Around 70% of people who contract HIV notice symptoms within the first couple of weeks after being infected.

Primary HIV infection (PHI) symptoms may include the following:

• fever
• swollen glands, often in the groin area
• aching joints and muscles
• headaches
• diarrhoea
• fatigue
• sore throat
• nausea

These symptoms can be distinguished from flu symptoms because HIV doesn't normally cause you to experience congestion in the nose cavity. These symptoms may go away after six weeks and don't normally return, until the late stage HIV infections starts causing serious health problems. 10% of people may not experience PHI symptoms at all.

What are the risks?

If you think that you may have been infected with the virus, whether you're experiencing symptoms or not, it's important that you get a test. This will help ensure that you get the right support and treatment as early on in your illness as possible. HIV testing in the UK follows a strict protocol, and professional advice and counselling is provided both before and after your test.

HIV, if left untreated, can eventually damage the immune system, to the point where it's unable to protect your body against illness, making a patient vulnerable to life-threatening illnesses. This is known as AIDS infection.

How is HIV treated?

There is a large amount of support available to people with HIV and AIDS in the form of:

• anti-HIV medications such as reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors, protease inhibitors and fusion inhibitors
• specialist doctor-patient treatment plans
• living with HIV management modules
• alternative therapies, such as chiropractics
• HIV clinics
• maintaining a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise

Although there is no cure for HIV and AIDS, highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) can be used to slow down the progress of the virus and prolong a patient's life. This treatment involves a combination of anti-retroviral medication - because HIV is a retrovirus it tends to mutate quickly, making certain types of treatments ineffective. Regular blood tests also help in this respect, because it tests whether a medication is still effective. Anti-retroviral medications mostly work to stop the virus from reproducing and spreading.

Getting tested for HIV

HIV can only be confirmed by taking a test. There are various types of HIV tests available, some of which need to be performed in a GUM clinic or hospital by a registered practician, and some of which are able to be taken in the privacy of your home. Antibody tests, antigen (P24) tests, fourth generation tests and PCR tests are some of the types of HIV tests available from a doctor; while blood spot tests or saliva tests can often be done with a home test kit. However, should a positive result occur in this case, it's very important that you get a confirmation from your doctor as false positives are not uncommon with HIV home testing.

HIV tests are normally free from your local sexual health clinic or GUM clinic, antenatal clinic, GP or rapid testing clinic (Terrence Higgins Trust). A face-to-face consultation with a doctor or counsellor is required when you take a test and when you receive your results, so that you can be adequately prepared for the risks and options available to you, related to living with an HIV infection. Should the results be positive, you will be referred to a specialist HIV clinic, where you will receive treatment, support and advice on how to live with HIV.