Note the following acronyms in case
you are not familiar with them before.
HIV: Human
immunodeficiency virus
AIDS: Acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome
How HIV Progresses In The Human Body
Every healthy person has a strong body
defence to protect the body against diseases. This defence system is called the
immune system. White blood cells are
an important part of the immune system and play a key role in defending the
body against all kinds of diseases. In this review, we shall be looking at how
HIV attacks the immune system. In addition, the progression of HIV to AIDS is
also discussed. This is to enable us appreciate the need to know our HIV
sero-status which is the first step towards prevention and management.
The human's Immune System
Every healthy person has a strong body
defence system to protect the body against diseases. This defence system is
called the immune system. The White blood cells (WBCs) are an important part of the immune system and play a
key role in defending the body against all kinds of diseases. Now, note the
following because i will be moving gradually for proper understanding to be
achieved.
Lymphocytes are a type of white
blood cell.
CD4 cell is a special
type of lymphocyte.
HIV attacks mostly these CD4 cells.
This is why counting the number of CD4 cells is a good way of checking how much
of your defence is still working. The lower the CD4 count means the higher the
viral load in the system.
The Phases And Stages Of HIV
There are three phases in
the progression of HIV infection, and each phase has two stages.
Phase 1:
During
this phase, HIV is present in the blood, but laboratory tests cannot detect it for
up to six months.
i. Entry stage: This
is when the virus enters the body.
ii. Window period
stage: This is when HIV is multiplying in the body, but cannot be detected
by an Antibody Test. However, other specialized Antigen tests can be used to
detect the virus. This stage, which is very infectious, lasts approximately three
months. Therefore, one initial test is usually not enough to confirm if one is HIV-negative,
especially if the person has been exposed to the virus through sexual
intercourse or other methods of infection. One is advised to repeat the test
after three months and to avoid risky behaviours during this period.
Phase 2
During
this phase, HIV is in the blood and laboratory tests can detect its presence.
It has no signs or symptoms for two months to several years. The time varies
from person to person. This HIV-positive (HIV+) stage includes:
i. Sero-conversion
stage: This means that the virus is present in large enough quantities to
produce an immune response (Antibodies) that laboratory tests can detect in the
blood. This is the period when a person goes from being HIV-negative to
HIV-positive. Young children and the elderly go through sero-conversion faster
because they have less robust immune systems.
ii. Asymptomatic sero-positive
stage: This means that the virus is in the body in large quantities, but
the person infected shows no signs and is not aware of the infection unless
tested. HIV can live almost silently in the system for many years without
causing obvious signs of damage. During this time, the person looks and feels
healthy and will not know that she or he is living with HIV unless given an HIV
test. Even though the person may look healthy, he or she can spread HIV during
this healthy stage.
Phase 3
During this
phase the HIV is in the blood, laboratory tests can detect the virus, and the
person shows signs and symptoms of acquired immune-deficiency syndrome. This is
a condition in which the person infected with HIV develops signs of repeated
and often prolonged illnesses resulting from the immune system’s reduced
ability to defend itself against disease. This phase includes:
i. The AIDS-related illness stage: Infected
people show signs and symptoms such as diarrhoea, weight loss, weakness and
fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, night sweats, etc., but are still capable of
taking care of themselves.
ii. The full-blown AIDS stage: People
show more pronounced and more frequent signs and symptoms of AIDS and often
become too weak to care for themselves. This is the advanced stage of AIDS.
Advanced AIDS-related diseases sometimes occur when the CD4 cell count is below
200 cells per microliter, while others have signs of two minor and two major
opportunistic diseases. Some people with a CD4 cell count of less than 200
cells per microliter may not have signs of AIDS.
The most common serious illnesses are
pneumonia, tuberculosis, diarrhoea, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and Lymphoma (swollen
lymph gland.
A person infected with
HIV can remain healthy for many years with no physical signs or symptoms. In
summary, since we know how the knowledge of the various phases involved in HIV
progression, we need to be cautious and avoid any means of been infected by the
virus, so that we can have a HIV-free generation.
Progression Of HIV Infection In The Human Body System
Reviewed by Chibuzor Aguwa
on
Monday, July 03, 2017
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