What Are the Main Causes of AIDS in Biology?
The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a type of interminable, and conceivably life-undermining condition that is brought about by the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV. By harming your immune system, HIV meddles with your body's capacity to battle infection and disease. HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It can likewise be spread by contact with tainted blood or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. Without medication, it might take a long time before HIV weakens your immune system to the point that you have AIDS. There's no cure for HIV/AIDS, however, medications can drastically slow the movement of the disease. This article will give you all the information on AIDS causes, the reason for AIDS, how does aids spread, and why HIV AIDS is an incurable disease.
What is HIV?
HIV is a virus that harms the immune system. The immune system enables the body to ward off infections. Untreated HIV taints and executes CD4 cells, which are a kind of immune cell called T cells. After some time, as HIV kills more CD4 cells, the body is bound to get different kinds of infections and malignancies. HIV is transmitted through organic liquids that include:
Blood
Semen
Vaginal and rectal liquids
Breast milk
The virus doesn't spread in air or water, or through easygoing contact. HIV is a lifelong condition and presently there is no cure, albeit numerous researchers are attempting to discover one. Notwithstanding, with clinical consideration, including a treatment called antiretroviral therapy, it's conceivable to oversee HIV and live with the virus for a long time. Without any kind of treatment, the individual with HIV is probably going to end building up a genuine condition called AIDS. By then, the immune system is too weak to even consider fighting off different diseases and infections. Untreated, life expectancy with AIDS is around three years. With antiretroviral therapy, HIV can be very much controlled and life expectancy can be about equivalent to somebody who has not contracted HIV. It's evaluated that 1.1 million Americans are at present living with HIV. Of those individuals, 1 out of 5 doesn’t realize they have the virus. HIV can cause changes all through the body.
What is AIDS?
AIDS is a disease that can be created in individuals with HIV. It's the most progressive phase of HIV. In any case, because an individual has HIV doesn't mean they'll create AIDS. HIV murders CD4 cells. Healthy grown-ups, by and large, have a CD4 count of 500 to 1,500 for each cubic millimetre. An individual with HIV whose CD4 count falls under 200 for each cubic millimetre will be determined to have AIDS. An individual can likewise be determined to have AIDS on the off chance that they have HIV and build up an entrepreneurial infection or malignancy that is uncommon in individuals who don't have HIV. An entrepreneurial infection, for example, pneumonia, exploits a one of a kind circumstance, HIV. If it is left untreated, HIV can even advance to AIDS in just 10 years. There's no cure for AIDS, and without treatment, life expectancy after finding is around three years.
What is HIV AIDS Causes and Prevention
Let us learn about the HIV causes and take a look at the causes of HIV aids in points.
HIV is a variety of a virus that contaminates African chimpanzees. Researchers presume the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) hopped from chimps to humans when individuals devoured tainted chimpanzee meat. Once inside the human populace, the virus changed into what we presently know as HIV. This imaginable happened quite a while in the past as in the 1920s. HIV spread from individual to individual all through Africa for a very long while. In the end, the virus relocated to different parts of the world.
AIDS Causes and Prevention
Let us now understand the causes of AIDS disease.
AIDS is brought about by HIV. An individual can't get AIDS if they haven't contracted HIV. Healthy people have a CD4 count of 500 to 1,500 for each cubic millimetre. Without treatment, HIV keeps on increasing and crushing CD4 cells. If an individual's CD4 count falls under 200, they have AIDS. Additionally, on the off chance that somebody with HIV builds up a shrewd infection related to HIV, they can at present be determined to have AIDS, regardless of whether their CD4 count is over 200.
Symptoms of AIDS
The symptoms of HIV normally contrast from individual to individual and now and again, a patient contaminated with the HIV infection may not encounter any symptoms whatsoever. The basic signs and symptoms of HIV include:
Fever
Chills
Joint pains
Headache
Sore throat
Muscle aches
Red rashes on the skin
Sleepiness and weakness
Steamed stomach
Perspiring during the night
Swollen or developed glands
The above symptoms can last from a couple of days to half a month. An individual with HIV frequently encounters no symptoms, feels healthy, and seems healthy.
FAQs on AIDS Causes: Key Reasons, Symptoms, and Prevention
1. What is the full form of AIDS and what does it signify?
The full form of AIDS is Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. This name signifies that it is a condition one acquires during their lifetime, not one they are born with. It involves a deficiency of the immune system, making the body susceptible to various infections. A 'syndrome' refers to a group of symptoms that consistently occur together.
2. Which virus is the primary cause of AIDS?
AIDS is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV is a type of virus known as a retrovirus. It contains RNA as its genetic material and uses a special enzyme called reverse transcriptase to create DNA from its RNA, which is then integrated into the host cell's DNA.
3. How does HIV specifically damage the human immune system?
HIV primarily targets and infects a crucial type of white blood cell called helper T-cells (also known as CD4 cells). These cells are essential for coordinating the body's immune response. The virus replicates inside these cells, eventually destroying them. As the number of helper T-cells declines, the immune system becomes progressively weaker and unable to fight off infections and diseases it normally could.
4. What is the difference between being HIV-positive and having AIDS?
Being HIV-positive means a person has been infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. At this stage, they may not show any major symptoms for many years. AIDS is the final and most severe stage of the HIV infection. A diagnosis of AIDS is made when the count of helper T-cells (CD4 cells) in an HIV-positive person drops below a critical level (approximately 200 cells/mm³ of blood) or when they develop specific opportunistic infections or cancers.
5. What are the main ways through which HIV can be transmitted?
HIV is transmitted through direct contact with certain body fluids from an infected person. The primary modes of transmission are:
- Unprotected Sexual Contact: Engaging in sexual intercourse with an infected person without using protection like condoms.
- Sharing Contaminated Needles: Primarily among intravenous drug users who share needles and syringes.
- Contaminated Blood Transfusion: Receiving blood or blood products that are contaminated with the virus.
- From Mother to Child: An infected mother can pass the virus to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or through breastfeeding.
6. How is an HIV infection diagnosed according to standard medical procedures?
The standard diagnostic procedure for HIV involves two key tests. Initially, a screening test called ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) is performed to detect antibodies against HIV. If the ELISA test result is positive, a more specific and confirmatory test, such as the Western Blot test, is conducted to confirm the presence of the virus and avoid false positives.
7. What are the most effective methods for preventing the spread of HIV?
Preventing the spread of HIV relies on several key strategies, including:
- Practising safe sex by consistently using condoms.
- Ensuring that only sterile, disposable needles and syringes are used for injections.
- Screening all blood and blood products for HIV before transfusion.
- Educating the public about the causes and transmission of AIDS to reduce risky behaviours.
- Using antiretroviral drugs for infected pregnant mothers to prevent transmission to the child.
8. Why is there currently no cure for AIDS?
There is no cure for AIDS mainly because HIV is a retrovirus that integrates its genetic code directly into the DNA of the host's immune cells. This viral DNA remains hidden and dormant within the host cells, making it impossible for the immune system or drugs to completely eliminate it from the body. While Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) can effectively suppress the virus from multiplying, it cannot eradicate these hidden reservoirs of the virus.
9. Can a person infected with HIV live a normal, healthy life?
Yes, with access to and consistent adherence to modern medical treatment, a person with HIV can live a long and largely normal life. The treatment, known as Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), involves a combination of drugs that suppress the virus's replication. This keeps the viral load low, allows the immune system to recover, and prevents the progression to AIDS, enabling the individual to remain healthy.
