Feeling sick Weight loss Swollen glands in the neck, underarms, or groin
Diagnosis
HIV is diagnosed with a blood test. A sample of blood is taken and analyzed for the virus. HIV tests are confidential and clinics that conduct the test are careful to guard the results, be they positive or negative. Tests have been created for home diagnosis via urine or oral fluid sample. These tests are not very sensitive, however, and can lead to false results. One home test allows a person to send a card containing a finger-prick blood sample to a licensed lab to test for HIV.
Treatment
While a diagnosis of HIV used to signal an eminent transition to AIDs and death, a variety of
treatments are available to slow or even stop the progression of HIV infection. As HIV is a form of retrovirus, anti-HIV drugs known as highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are prescribed as a drug regimen.The regimen is very rigorous as the medications should be taken at the same time every day. If the regimen is not consistently followed, the virus can mutate into a drug-resistant strain. Side effects of the medication can include nausea, rash, diarrhea, and abnormal distribution of body fat within the body.
Even with treatment, some people experience a rapid progression to AIDS. This is rare though, and most people with HIV successfully manage the condition without early development of AIDS. Research is ongoing to find the best and most effective treatment options for patients with HIV.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDs
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the result of an HIV infection. The HIV infection works over a period of time to compromise the immune system. Once a certain level of infection has been reached, the patient is considered to have full-blown AIDS.
Cause
A virus similar to HIV is believed to have infected monkeys and chimps in Africa where they are considered a source of food. Contact with an infected monkey's blood through butchering or cooking may have created the pathway for infection in humans