Online Class: HIV — Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment

Courses Frequently Bought Together:

Advocacy for Elderly Patients

Caring for Seniors

Comprehensive Medical Terminology 1 & 2

Course Motivation

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 20,000 individuals with AIDS die in the United States every year. And nearly 57,000 more Americans are infected with HIV virus each year.

The HIV virus cannot replicate on its own, but needs to invade and infect other cells in the body on order to replicate. HIV is considered a retrovirus, or one that is slow acting that can take years between infection and onset of symptoms to develop.

HIV infections enter the body through the bloodstream, mucous membranes, or by contact with infected blood or other bodily fluids. Following infection, certain cells, called CD4+T cells, rapidly reproduce and replicate.

Think of CD4+T cells as the front-line soldiers of the immune system, the body's major defense against infection. In a healthy adult, the CD4+T cell count typically ranges above 1,000. Over time, the HIV virus gradually reduces this number. At the point where an individual has fewer than 200 of these T4 cells, the body is no longer able to protect and fight against what are known as opportunistic infections. We'll cover some of these HIV-related illnesses and infections in Lesson 9.

Following exposure to the HIV virus, the immune system's ability to properly function is disrupted. The HIV virus attacks the body's immune responses, literally disabling them, giving the virus the chance to replicate, as well as to attack and kill the body's own immune response to the virus.

Gradually, the body's immune system is destroyed to the point it is unable to protect the body against other illnesses, such as a cold, pneumonia, infections, cancers, or organ damage. Eventually, a person may enter the stage known as AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. 

What Is the Difference Between HIV and AIDS?

At its most basic definition, HIV is a virus that eventually causes AIDS. Human immunodeficiency virus merely means that a virus or infection has invaded the body, disrupting the immune system's ability to function properly. Between infection and onset of symptoms, a person may enjoy a perfectly normal and active lifestyle and activity levels, being none the wiser that a virus has invaded the body.

AIDS is not an inherited condition, but must be acquired, hence its name. The term "syndrome" implies that a number of conditions or symptoms may be present during this stage of the disease, most typically caused by failure of the immune system to function properly.

Not all people diagnosed with HIV infections have AIDS. HIV may or may not progress in stages, ending up with the AIDS diagnosis. Individuals who live with HIV infections, who don't typically experience symptoms, are called asymptomatic, meaning without symptoms. Following early symptoms of the condition, most individuals are diagnosed with early symptomatic HIV. As the condition worsens and damages the immune system, a person may be diagnosed with opportunistic infections, such as pneumonia, tumors, chronic coughs, and lung damage and organ failure.

Each individual may react to the HIV virus in a different way. For example, basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson was diagnosed with AIDS nearly 20 years ago. He continues to lead a fairly active and normal healthy lifestyle, even though at the time of his diagnosis, many people feared that he'd been delivered a death sentence. Because he was diagnosed as such an early stage, and continues with his drug treatments, Magic's prognosis is fairly good. Actually, many individuals today who experience both effective drug treatment coupled with early detection have a roughly 90 percent chance of holding the HIV virus in check without ever developing AIDS-related conditions or infections.

HIV and AIDS testing methodologies, education and awareness programs, as well as new drug treatments given at this stage of the disease have helped thousands of individuals lead a normal lifestyle.

A person living with HIV needs to take certain precautions, which also will be discussed in this course; but just because a person is diagnosed as HIV positive, doesn't mean the person will develop AIDS.

The next stage of the HIV virus is called seroconversion. During this time, the body's immune system produces antibodies against the HIV virus in an effort to protect itself. Common symptoms at this point may include swollen lymph nodes and flu-like symptoms. During this period, the virus is highly infectious.

Following the period of seroconversion, a person may experience what is known as an asymptomatic period. No symptoms are felt or experienced during this period. For some people, this period may last six months, while for others 10 years or more may pass symptom-free. It's impossible to determine exactly how long it takes one person or another to experience symptoms. Even if the person is not showing any symptoms, and may feel perfectly healthy and strong, the virus continues to replicate and reproduce inside the body. The replication of the virus will cause a general, gradual, and inevitable weakening and decline of the body's immune system.