Posted on March 18, 2011 by HIV Symptoms in Men
HIV is some thing that still strikes fear into the hearts of men over 25 years after first becoming discovered. It’s estimated that over 25 million people have died from the illness since it began to be measured, and that presently 0.6 percent of the world’s population, or 34 million people have some form of it.
Initially, symptoms of HIV in men are tough to diagnose simply because they mimic those of other less severe illnesses. We will discuss them in detail shortly, and the stages the HIV goes through.
The primary thing to note about the disease is that it’s no longer the killer it used to be. Modern drug therapies and treatments mean those with HIV can now lead perfectly regular lives. That is if the illness is identified early enough.
There are many myths about HIV and AIDS, and we hope to address some of them here. This infection is far too severe for ignorance to have any location near it.
What is HIV?
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is an infection that is passed via bodily fluids like semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, infected drug needles, and rarely, organ or blood transplants. It utilized to be primarily associated with homosexual activity, but heterosexual activity has now far surpassed that in transmitting the illness.
The virus may also be passed on via direct contact with infected blood. For example, by using infected needles for injections, piercings or tattoos, or from accidental injury with a needle containing infected blood. It may also be transferred from mother to child if she has HIV during pregnancy.
HIV is different to AIDS. In fact, doctors rarely use the term anymore. It is now referred to as “Late-stage HIV infection.” AIDS occurs when the HIV virus has killed too many T-helper cells within the human immune system to defend it from attack. This allowed usually defensible infections like cold or flu to take hold and break down the immune program prior to overcoming the body.
It is difficult to identify when you have the disease as it may be asymptomatic. That means symptoms of HIV in men can be undetectable unless you display certain markers.
Initial Stage of HIV
The main stage of HIV infection is often called seroconversion in medical circles. Numerous people develop symptoms, but many do not. Any symptoms of primary stage HIV will occur between two to six weeks after infection.
Symptoms of HIV in men and ladies consist of:
- * Fever
- * Sore throat
- * Tiredness or lethargy
- * Joint discomfort
- * Muscle pain
- * Swollen glands
- * Arash
These aren’t the only symptoms, merely the most common. As you are able to see, each symptom might be one of many things other than HIV, so can easily be mistaken for some thing minor. The giveaway is the rash. As a fever or sore throat isn’t usually associated having a rash in cold or flu, it is a sign of feasible infection.
HIV
After the initial stage of infection has passed, there will probably be no more symptoms of HIV in men or ladies. This can last up to twenty years. This is simply because the infection has “settled” in with the immune system and sets to work attacking it. The length of time it takes to reach late stage HIV depends on the overall well being of the sufferer.
In healthy individuals, it can take up to those twenty years for the immune system to be broken down sufficient to allow late stage symptoms in. Although you will find no symptoms, the virus is hard at work attacking the body.
Late-stage HIV
Late-stage HIV, or what was called AIDS, is when the virus has broken down the immune program to such a degree that a minor issue can rapidly become life threatening. While it can take up to twenty years to reach late-stage in healthy people, the average seems to be around ten.
Once the sufferer reaches this point, their well being becomes precarious, and great care has to be taken to minimize exposure to almost every kind of virus.
Common late-stage symptoms of HIV in men are:
- * Persistent tiredness or lethargy
- * Night sweats
- * Weight reduction
- * Persistent diarrhea
- * Blurred vision
- * White spots on the tongue or mouth
- * Dry cough
- * Shortness of breath
- * A fever of above 100F that lasts a number of weeks
- * Swollen glands that last for much more than three months
These are more identifiable, but it’s typically too late for conventional drug therapies. To survive during late-state HIV takes serious hospital treatment. Even then, it’s still possible to survive a number of years at this stage.
Prognosis
There is no cure for HIV. However, advances in drug therapy means you will find treatments which can delay the effects of the virus. Modern therapies can decrease the amount of the virus in the body and slow down its effects on the immune system.
These drugs can delay or prevent late-stage HIV, and protect against usually harmless viruses wreaking havoc over a broken immune system.When utilized appropriately and taken correctly, anti-HIV medicines can help sufferers stay nicely and live a full life.
Once the number of CD4 white blood cells has fallen to a suitably low level, or if the sufferer becomes pregnant, a doctor will suggest beginning treatment with medicines. They might also start treatment if the sufferer develops a serious infection or a condition linked to advanced HIV.
Treatment
Although the symptoms of HIV in men are frequently missed, or misdiagnosed, the earlier the virus is detected the much better. You will find now a number of drug therapies on the market which are effective in slowing down the advance of HIV, and protect the immune program against attack.
Usually a combination of drugs will probably be required to properly treat HIV.These medicines prevent the virus from reproducing in the body, which reduces the quantity of it within the blood. HIV gets its strength from numbers, just like any virus. Interrupt that and it weakens enough for the immune program to keep it in check.
Medicines also quit the virus from mutating when it reproduces. This ensures drug therapy remains efficient and prevents the virus changing to work around them.
Sufferers will probably take 3 medicines, which are frequently combined into one or two pills taken daily. This is referred to as antiretroviral therapy, mixture therapy, or HAART (extremely active antiretroviral therapy). They’ve proven themselves to be effective in combating the advance of HIV.
Myths about HIV
You can tell if someone is HIV-positive simply by looking at them. This isn’t accurate. The vast majority of individuals with HIV look perfectly regular. It is only in late-stage HIV that other, much more obvious symptoms emerge. Even then they aren’t automatically identified as HIV.
You can’t get HIV from straight sex. This isn’t true either. Heterosexual intercourse is now probably the most typical way of acquiring the virus. It accounts for the vast majority of new instances right across the world.
Only gay men get HIV. See above. Straight sex has been probably the most typical way of catching HIV, since 1999. The majority of individuals who get HIV now are heterosexual.
HIV may be passed via urine or saliva. Not accurate. The virus isn’t present in high enough numbers to pose a threat this way.
Touching someone with HIV can pass it on. Once more, untrue. HIV cannot be passed on via activities, such as sharing cutlery, sitting on toilet seats or by shaking hands. Neither can it be passed on via a mosquito bite or bites from other animals or insects.
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