Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, known as AIDS, is a life-threatening and chronic condition caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). HIV damages the immune system and destroys your body’s ability to destroy diseases. HIV is usually a sexually transmitted disease but can be spread through blood contact. While there is no cure, there are treatments that help reduce how quickly the virus progresses. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms below, please contact us for HIV treatment in Los Angeles.
Symptoms of HIV/AIDS will depend on which phase of life you are through:
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Acute HIV (primary infection) – Flu-like symptoms will appear about a month or so after the HIV virus has entered your body and will last several weeks This is the stage where the virus is spread at the easiest way. Some symptoms include:
- Headache
- Fever
- Rash
- Sore throat
- Mouth sores
- Muscle and joint pain
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chronic HIV (Clinical latent infection) – Swollen lymph nodes can be persistent at this stage; however, there aren’t many specific symptoms in this stage. HIV will remain in your body and continue to infect your white blood cells. The chronic HIV stage can last for about ten years if antiretroviral therapy is not being used. With treatment, this stage can stay with the patients for decades.
- Symptoms include:
- Shingles
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Yeast Infection
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chronic HIV (Clinical latent infection) – Swollen lymph nodes can be persistent at this stage; however, there aren’t many specific symptoms in this stage. HIV will remain in your body and continue to infect your white blood cells. The chronic HIV stage can last for about ten years if antiretroviral therapy is not being used. With treatment, this stage can stay with the patients for decades.
- Symptoms include:
- Shingles
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Yeast Infection
- Swollen lymph nodes
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Thanks to the US’s superior antiviral treatments, it is unlikely that your HIV will progress to AIDS. But it left untreated, it will turn into AIDS within ten years. If HIV finally progresses to AIDS, it means that your immune system is severely damaged and you are far more susceptible to cancers or infections. Symptoms of AIDs include:
- Recurring fever
- Chronic diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Rashes or bumps
- Severe night sweats
- White spots in your mouth
- Unexplained fatigue or exhaustion
Treatment
There is no cure for the virus that causes HIV and AIDS, but there are drugs classified under antiretroviral therapy (ART) that help slow the progression of the virus. There are different classes of the drug, and each fights the virus differently. Most recommend combining three of the drugs from two different classes because this will also help to avoid creating a drug-resistant strain of the virus.
The different classes of HIV treatment drugs include:
- Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
- Nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors
- Protease inhibitors
- Entry or fusion inhibitors
- Integrase inhibitors
If you are experiencing any of the listed symptoms or suspect that you may have contracted HIV, please visit an HIV Testing Los Angeles.
