Symptoms of HIV
HIV and AIDS have reached pandemic status and people all over the world are being infected regularly. It is believed that over 30 million people are living with these diseases worldwide, and over 2 million people have died, 75% of the deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Since these viruses are relatively new, it is important that we increase awareness about them so that we can protect ourselves and prevent more cases from occurring in the future. One thing that we should familiarize ourselves with is the symptoms of HIV and AIDS. Knowing the symptoms will serve a few functions. We can find out more about these viruses and functions, we will have some idea of what sufferers go through, and we may be able to realize that something is wrong early on instead of infecting other people. Here are five of the symptoms of HIV and AIDS so that we can all help in preventing the transmission of these diseases.
1. Lung infections – Ailments such as pneumocystis pneumonia and tuberculosis are frequent among those that are infected by HIV and AIDS. While tuberculosis can be transmitted to people with healthy immune systems, pneumocystis pneumonia is fairly rare normally. Pneumocystis pneumonia is very common for people with these viruses and is caused by a fungus. Because the immune system is weakened, the fungus begins to cause infections.
2. Gastrointestinal infections – Esophagitis and chronic diarrhea are also symptoms of HIV and AIDS. Esophagitis is an inflammation of the tube connecting to the stomach. It is caused by viral or fungal infections. Chronic diarrhea can be from an assortment of bacteria and infections wreaking havoc in your gastrointestinal system. Bacteria include salmonella and listeria, and some viruses that may cause chronic diarrhea are astrovirus, adenovirus, and rotavirus.
3. Nervous system abnormalities – Encephalitis and AIDS dementia complex can both develop in people with HIV and AIDS. Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain that can cause fever, headache, sensitivity to light, and seizures. AIDS dementia complex on the other hand causes psychological, cognitive, and motor anomalies.
4. Cancer – The chances for many types of cancer are increased when a person is infected with HIV and AIDS. Cervical cancer and lymphomas are much more common for sufferers of these viruses than for the average person. Many different tumors are prevalent as well, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma.
5. Weight loss – This can be a signal for not only HIV and AIDS, but unexplained weight loss will usually tell you that something is wrong with your body. If this is something that you are experiencing, be sure to visit a doctor immediately.
Knowing the precursors of HIV and AIDS is important if we as a people hope to eradicate these viruses at any point in the future. Spread the word to loved ones, friends, family, and even strangers for that matter, everyone should be aware of these deadly viruses.
