1. AIDS-THE SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENTS By: Leah Carlisle

2. WHAT CAUSES AIDS YOU ASK?  HIV causes AIDS. AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This is the most advanced stage of the HIV disease. HIV stands for the human immunodeficiency virus. You can spread HIV by having vaginal or anal intercourse without a condom with someone who has HIV. You can also spread it by sharing needles with an infected person or getting their blood, semen, or vaginal secretions into an open wound. So how do you know if you have HIV? Well, it can be very hard to know if you have contracted the disease just by viewing its symptoms.

3. SYMPTOMS OF THE 1 ST STAGE OF THE HIV DISEASE  The first set of symptoms may include swollen glands (more so in the throat), fevers, headaches, fatigue, and muscle aches. These are all symptoms common with the flu, and in some cases only last a few weeks depending on the individual. Then following the initial infection you may not have any symptoms and could feel perfectly normal

4. SYMPTOMS OF THE NEXT STAGE OF THE HIV DISEASE  At this stage, this state of no symptoms could last anywhere from a few months to up to 10 years. During this time your immune system is being attacked and starts to become weaker. The virus multiplies and infects and kills the cells of the immune system so it does not allow us to fight back against the bacteria and other infectious diseases. It destroys the cells that are the primary infection fighters known as the T4 cells.  Once the immune system is weak from all the infections, you can develop symptoms such as not having any energy, losing weight, frequent fevers or persistent yeast infections, short-term memory loss, and or mouth, genital, or anal sores from herpes infections.

5. AIDS  The most advanced stage in HIV is AIDS. When having AIDS almost every organ is affected by the disease and the symptoms become more severe. You can have all of the symptoms of the stages I spoke of earlier and also start having seizures, vision loss, nausea, abdominal cramps, shortness of breath, and even go into a coma. When you have AIDS you are also more prone to getting different cancers. A lot of them are cancers of the immune system known as lymphomas. Lymphoma occurs when lymphocytes are in a state of uncontrolled cell growth and multiplication. Just like other cancers, chemotherapy and radiation are the main treatments for this type of cancer.

6. TESTING FOR HIV  Some of the tests you can use to see if you have HIV are tests such as: Rapid HIV antibody tests also use blood, oral fluid, or urine to detect HIV antibodies. Results for these tests can take 10–20 minutes. Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) tests use blood, oral fluid, or urine to detect HIV antibodies. Results for these tests can take up to two weeks.

8. TREATMENTS  You should start treatments as soon as you find out that you have contracted the disease. The main type of treatment is taking an antiretroviral drug. If and when the Dr puts you on antiretroviral medication, you have to take this drug everyday around the same time of day for the rest of your life. You could take two or more antiretroviral drugs at a time and that is called a combination therapy. A lot of people that have AIDS take one antiretroviral pill and then their body becomes use to it and the pill stops working. In this case they would have to take two or more antiretroviral pills and it will help reduce the rate at which resistance would develop.

9. PREGNANCY The use of antiretroviral is also recommended for the prevention of transmitting HIV-1 from the mother to the child. When you are pregnant or breast feeding and you are infected with HIV, you can pass it onto your child. Because the HIV disease progresses much faster in children than in adults, treatment recommendations are more aggressive in children than in adults.

10. IN THE END…  I just want the people of this world to know what to look for if they feel that they might have contracted the HIV/AIDS disease. AIDS is an invisible enemy that is out there waiting to find you. Remember, this is a non-curable disease that could cost you your life, and once you contract it, it will no longer be invisible to your health.

11. WORKS CITED  http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/hivaids/understanding/Pages/D efault.aspx http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/hivaids/understanding/Pages/D efault.aspx  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv- aids/DS00005/DSECTION=symptoms http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv- aids/DS00005/DSECTION=symptoms  http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hivaids/page3_em.htm http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hivaids/page3_em.htm