What is HIV/AIDS
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and is caused by a virus known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV.
Acquired: Meaning that it is a virus that a person contracts as opposed to a condition that is hereditary (passed on through genes).
Immune: Your immune system is the part of the body that protects you from germs, viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. It helps you to stay healthy.
Deficiency: It creates a deficiency or weakness in your immune system, causing it to malfunction.
Syndrome: A wide range of different diseases, conditions and opportunistic infections someone with AIDS may experience. The immune system became weak, and because of that, the body cannot defend the body against all kinds of infections/cancers. These infections together form the syndrome that we call AIDS. So actually, there are no specific symptoms for AIDS. Every one of these diseases has their own symptoms, and those are the symptoms of AIDS.
What is HIV?
Human: The virus, can only affect humans.
Immuno: The virus causes immune
Deficiency: a lack of the required elements (white blood cells) for it to function properly.
Virus: The germ (micro organism) responsible for the infection. It is extremely small and it can only survive and multiply within living cells and at the expense of these cells.
How does my body protect me?
- The first line of protection that your body provides against infections is your skin. Your skin acts as a barrier, and the sweat glands in it get rid of waste. An injury such as a cut provides a way for germs to enter and infect your body.
- The small hairs and fluids in your body openings also protect you. Nostrils have hair and mucous to keep out germs carried in the air.
- The saliva in your mouth contains enzymes that may destroy germs.
- Your eyelashes, eyelids, and tears protect your eyes.
- Your vagina, urethra (the tube you pee through), anus, and bowels (guts) are lined with mucous membranes, which protect them.
What about my immune system?
Your body's health is protected by its immune system, which is a network of chemicals (proteins), cells, tissues, and organs found throughout your body. These work together to protect you from germs. Your immune system can distinguish the difference between what belongs in your body and what does not belong.
When your immune system detects something foreign, it tries to destroy and remove it to keep you healthy. White blood cells (part of the immune system) called lymphocytes (B cells and T cells) protect the body from germs such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi.
The two main types of T cells are the T-4 (CD 4/T-Helper) cells and T 8 (CD 8) cells.
When a germ or virus or bacterium enters your body, the immune system recognizes it as foreign to the body and potentially harmful. The T 4 cells begin the attack against infections by activating killer T cells and antibody producing B cells.
One way your immune system protects you is by the production of antibodies against what is not part of your body. The activated B cells try to destroy any foreign particles not recognized as belonging to your body by creating antibodies to attack and destroy these foreign particles. This occurs when a virus such as HIV infects you.
Your body recognizes HIV as being foreign and potentially dangerous and therefore produces antibodies against it. Although effective at first, in the case of HIV-infection the antibodies do not eliminate the infection completely.
Some HIV is killed but many more viruses will infect T 4 cells, the very same cells that are supposed to coordinate the defense against the virus. Infected T 4 (CD 4) cells are re-programmed to become virus factories, which if activated, will produce viruses instead of triggering an immune response or making new white blood cells.
One way to determine how healthy your immune System is:
One of the blood cells infected and killed by HIV is the T 4 (CD 4) cell. It is required to protect your body from other infections. The number of CD 4 cells in your blood shows how strong your immune system is. If infected by HIV a test called a CD 4 count will determine the progress of HIV infection.
As your CD 4 count drops due to destruction by HIV, your body becomes more susceptible to infections caused by other germs. This happens because your ability to fight off particular infections (for which the T 4 and B cells were designed) has been decreased. These infections are known as opportunistic infections. They take advantage i.e. the opportunity, of your weakened immune system to cause infection.
