HIV/AIDS

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HIV/AIDS

Causes

Symptoms

Disease/ Virus

It can spread through sexual contact, illicit injection drug use or sharing needles, contact with infected blood, or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

Subtopic

HIV destroys CD4 T cells — white blood cells that play a large role in helping your body fight disease. The fewer CD4 T cells you have, the weaker your immune system becomes.

Risk Factors

Anyone of any age, race, sex or sexual orientation can be infected with HIV/AIDS. However, you're at greatest risk of HIV/AIDS if you: Have unprotected sex. Use a new latex or polyurethane condom every time you have sex. Anal sex is riskier than is vaginal sex. Your risk of HIV increases if you have multiple sexual partners. Have an STI. Many STIs produce open sores on your genitals. These sores act as doorways for HIV to enter your body. Use illicit injection drugs. People who use illicit injection drugs often share needles and syringes. This exposes them to droplets of other people's blood.

Prevention

There's no vaccine to prevent HIV infection and no cure for HIV/AIDS. But you can protect yourself and others from infection.

Consider preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP)

The combination oral drugs emtricitabine plus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada) and emtricitabine plus tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (Descovy) can reduce the risk of sexually transmitted HIV infection in people at very high risk. PrEP can reduce your risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% and from injection drug use by at least 74%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Descovy hasn't been studied in people who have receptive vaginal sex.

Use treatment as prevention (TasP). If you're living with HIV, taking HIV medication can keep your partner from becoming infected with the virus. If you make sure your viral load stays undetectable — a blood test doesn't show any virus — you won't transmit the virus to anyone else through sex. Using TasP means taking your medication exactly as prescribed and getting regular checkups.

Use post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) if you've been exposed to HIV. If you think you've been exposed through sex, needles or in the workplace, contact your health care provider or go to the emergency department. Taking PEP as soon as possible within the first 72 hours can greatly reduce your risk of becoming infected with HIV. You will need to take medication for 28 days.

Use a new condom every time you have sex. Tell your sexual partners if you have HIV. Use a clean needle.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By damaging your immune system, HIV interferes with your body's ability to fight infection and disease. HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI).