What Is HIV Disease? 

• HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. 

• This virus is a microscopic organism that infects living cells

• HIV is the virus that causes AIDS

• HIV multiplies very fast – If untreated, it can produce billions of new viruses every day.

How Is HIV Spread?

How Is It NOT Spread?

• HIV is spread through contact with blood, semen, pre-cum, vaginal secretions, and breast milk.

• HIV is NOT spread by shaking hands, hugging, dry or social kissing, being bitten by mosquitoes or insects, using restrooms, swimming pools, eating utensils

How Does HIV Affect The Body?

• A virus is an organism that cannot reproduce on its own, so it “high-jacks” the cell, using it as a factory to make more viruses. 

• HIV is a virus that actually attacks the immune system, our defense against infections. 

• HIV specifically infects a type of cell in the immune system called CD4+ lymphocytes.

• These special cells are responsible for removing many germs that cause disease

• During HIV infection, the CD4+ cells are killed off and there are fewer of these protective cells in circulation.

• When HIV destroys too many CD4+ cells, the body cannot protect itself and the person can get deadly infections.

What Is The Course of HIV Infection?

• CD4+ lymphocytes are important in fighting infection, but HIV gradually destroys these cells

• A person normally has around 1,000 CD4+ cells, but some healthy people have more and some have less

• Once infected, HIV slowly kills off the CD4+ cells and reproduces more and more HIVirus in the blood

• Once a person falls to the levels of 200 CD4+ cells measured in a drop of blood, the person may have trouble fighting infections. 

• When the CD4+ cells are low, there is usually a lot of HIVirus present in the blood.  We refer to the amount of virus in the blood as the viral load. 

• So, patients with a low CD4+ count and a high viral load are at risk for getting sick.

What Is The Difference Between HIV and AIDS? 

• While HIV infection causes AIDS, everyone who tests positive for HIV infection does not have AIDS.

• AIDS specifically refers to a situation where a person has severe damage to the immune system. 

• Once a person has fewer than 200 CD4+ cells in a drop of blood, they have a diagnosis of AIDS. 

• This person may begin to get sick from infections that the body could normally fight off. 

How Are Opportunistic Infections Involved?

• With the damage HIV causes to the immune system, the CD4+ cells fall to a level where they cannot adequately protect the person from infections.

• The weakened immune system creates an opportunity for certain types of germs to easily infect the person.

• We call these illnesses Opportunistic Infections (OI’s) because they use the weak immune system as their opportunity to cause disease.

• These infections are the main cause of death in HIV disease.

• Some common OI’s include:

• Pneumonias       
• Brain Infections
• Eye Infections/Blindness
• Certain Cancers
• Other organs of the body may be directly affected by HIV in AIDS patients causing illness, such as:

                      - Kidney Disease

                      - Dementia and decreased mental function

                      - Poor absorption of nutrients and wasting away

                         of muscle mass

• When HIV Treatment rebuilds the immune system, Opportunistic Infections are no longer able to cause disease.

                 Link to Living with HIV Page