AIDS as one of the most destructive infections ever known

Added: 12/07/2005

AIDS is often referred to as the plague of the twentieth century. It is one of the most destructive diseases in the history of mankind. AIDS has several stages of development. On the first stages the HIV has no any symptoms. Common AIDS clinical symptoms are those of conditions that are rare in people who have a healthy immune system. The most common treatment for AIDS is antiretroviral therapy, which prolongs the life of the patient for several years.

AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. AIDS definition is as follows. AIDS is a collection of infections and symptoms that result in the exhaustion of the immune system which is caused by the infection of human immunodeficiency virus, that is usually called HIV. There are treatments both for HIV and for AIDS, but unfortunately they do not cure. AIDS is considered to come from sub-Saharan Africa. It was discovered in the twentieth century and now it is spread all over the world. Statistics says that about 25 million people have been killed by AIDS since it was discovered in 1981. AIDS is considered to be one of the most destructive epidemics that have ever existed. In 2005, AIDS has killed 3.1 million people, among which about half a million are children.

Some countries have reduced both morbidity and mortality of HIV infections thanks to antiretroviral treatment. Nevertheless, these antiretrovirals have caused a number of other conditions, such as dyslipidaemia, lipodystrophy, insulin resistance, viral escape or cardiovascular risks and others.

The AIDS clinical symptoms are the symptoms of those conditions that are not common for a person with a healthy immune system. As a rule, the conditions are caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites and other different organisms. People diagnosed with AIDS are prone to opportunistic infections. Almost every organ of the human body is affected with AIDS. People with AIDS are subject to the risk of developing various kinds of cancer, like cervical cancer, Kaposi sarcoma and lymphomas, that is the cancer of the immune system. As a rule, the diseases become apparent through such symptoms as night sweats, fevers, swollen glands, weakness, and losses in weight. After a person is diagnosed with AIDS, the patient undergoes antiretroviral therapy. Thanks to the therapy, the patient usually lives for about 4-5 years. If the patient is not exposed to the therapy, he lives no longer than one year. As a rule, the patient dies from malignancies and from different opportunistic infections because of the increasing failure of the immune system.

AIDS has several stages of its development. On the first stage HIV has no symptoms and is not defined as AIDS. On the second stage there are some insignificant mucocutaneous manifestations as well as the infections of upper respiratory tract. The third stage is characterized by unexplained constant diarrhea lasting for more than a month, pulmonary tuberculosis and severe infections caused by different bacteria. On the last, the fourth, stage brain toxoplasmosis develops, as well as candidiasis of bronchi, trachea, esophagus or lungs and such a disease as Kaposi`s sarcoma. The stages may be used as the indicators in the development of AIDS.
There are three major ways of AIDS transmission. The first and the most common one is sexual route. The second one is through blood. And the third way is the birth from the infected mother.

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