HIV Symptoms in Men- Know About Symptoms of HIV AIDS

This blog talks about the symptoms and prevention from HIV AIDS

HIV is a virus. When you get infected with this virus, it attacks your immune system and makes your immune system weak. This can later cause AIDS. AIDS is Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome which is an incurable disease having no effective treatment. Therefore, the moment HIV is detected in your body, it becomes of utmost importance to keep AIDS from reaching the advanced stages by adopting appropriate medications and leading a healthy lifestyle.

The right medical care modality given at the right time can help control its progression. This is achievable only when people are aware about the virus and its symptoms. To protect yourself from HIV, you need to know in detail about HIV and AIDS, the causes of it and its prevention.

What is HIV?

HIV is a virus that, after entering into your system, attacks your immune system and starts to weaken it. Due to this property of virus, your body with HIV becomes incapable of fighting against infections or diseases. When HIV enters the host’s immune system, it starts to attack the CD4 cells. The CD4 cells in your body, are also called T cells. These cells help your immune system to fight and protect against diseases or infections.

If HIV is not managed/treated timely, HIV keeps on destroying your T cells. Due to the destruction of these T cells, your body comes at risk of developing several types of infections and other viruses. With time, the T cells start to die off completely. As a sequel, your body starts to lose its ability to fight against the infection which increases the body’s chance of getting AIDS and other infections.

What is AIDS?

AIDS is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the last stage and the most dangerous stage of the HIV infection. AIDS is the result of an HIV infection but not the result of any other disease. In the HIV infection’s end stage, your body's immune system responses completely fail. This immuno-compromised condition is known as AIDS.

Symptoms of HIV AIDS

The initial signs and symptoms of the HIV infection, are usually ignored by the infected. HIV AIDS infection early symptoms are usually similar to that of flu and a common cold. These early symptoms start to appear after 2 to 6 weeks of getting infected. Other common symptoms can be -

Symptoms of HIV AIDS

Fever
Chills
Pain in Muscles
Sweats at Night
Feeling Tired
Joints Pain
Sleeplessness
Sudden and Unexplained Weight Loss

Most of the HIV symptoms are similar in both women and men. But some symptoms are there that are seen in men only including-

Having pain in the testicles
Prostate gland swelling
Penis area getting swollen
Problem of infertility
Pain in the rectum
Having symptoms similar to hypogonadism

When to Get HIV Aids Test Done?

HIV test is the confirmatory test used to find out if you are having HIV infection or not. Whenever the symptoms of HIV AIDS are evident in your body, then your doctor suggests you to get an HIV AIDS test immediately.

HIV AIDS test is basically a blood test that can reveal the presence of HIV infection only after almost 12 weeks of getting infected with HIV virus. You are said to be infected with HIV when the virus has aquired a residence in your body. HIV positive people might look normal for several years (6 to 10 years) and can lead their life normally, but they can still spread the infection/disease to other people. CD4 test along with an HIV detection test is also conducted to confirm the positive HIV infection. CD4 cell count is also important because it helps measure the patients' immunity. If your CD4 count is less than 500, then there are high chance that the person has an HIV infection. This means that the CD4 count is directly proportional to the patient’s health.

Reasons Behind HIV AIDS

HIV virus never spreads through air, water or food. Along with this, getting up and sitting with a person infected with HIV virus, eating food together, drinking water from the same pitcher, using the same bed and clothes, staying in the same room or house, and sharing the same This disease does not spread by using toilet, bathroom, playing with children or by bites of mosquitoes or bedbugs.

Actually, HIV virus enters the DNA cells of the person. In this way, this virus gradually forms a strong bond with a person. Once this happens, no medicine or vaccine works on the human body.

There can be many reasons for people getting HIV virus, such as

It spreads between a person who has sex with more than one person.
Sometimes sharing syringes used for drugs also poses a risk of spreading HIV. Therefore always use clean and new needles.
This virus also occurs in children born after the mother or father is infected with HIV.
When blood is needed, HIV virus can also be contracted by taking blood from a person suffering from AIDS.

How to Prevent HIV AIDS?

HIV is a slow-growing virus in nature. Therefore, as soon as you start having symptoms of HIV, get the HIV test done and get treated immediately with no delay.

How to Prevent HIV AIDS

You should strictly take your medicines on time, because if you skip one single dose of this, then your treatment might get hampered.
Avoid having sex with multiple partners or more than one partner to avoid HIV infection.
Make sure to take appropriate protective measures while having sex to avoid HIV infection.
If you have an HIV infection, you should keep yourself healthy. You can do regular exercise and also consume a healthy diet to do so.
You should not take any drugs or other medicines.
You should avoid smoking.
Keep in touch with your doctor to keep the track of your health.
If you are a woman and are suffering from AIDS, you should not get pregnant, because the HIV-AIDS infection can spread from mother to the child.
When you need a blood transfusion, try not to take blood from any unknown person. If the blood that is to be used is not HIV tested, there are chances that it is infected, this is why you should always get tested blood only.
To avoid getting HIV, you should get tested frequently. Because, the sooner you get diagnosed, the better it can be stopped from progression.

Conclusion

If you are having symptoms that indicate HIV, you should get an HIV test and other tests with an HIV antibody test. Your doctor will guide you about the diagnostic tests, preventive measures for its spread and its treatment.