• The chronic stage is also known as clinical latency. In this stage HIV is active but it gets reproduced at
  very low levels. 

At the end of this phase, the amount
of HIV in the blood goes up and the CD4 cell count goes down. 

By taking HIV medicines, you would
not enter Stage 3 of HIV.

 

AIDS
(Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome): 

•  This is the last stage of HIV. 

People at this stage have badly
damaged immune systems and get an increasing number of severe illnesses, called
opportunistic infections.

The amount of HIV in the blood is
very high and the person could be very infectious. 

What are the symptoms of HIV?

Some of you may or may not experience HIV symptoms at chronic
stage. Some of the nonspecific symptoms are listed below:

• night
  sweats
• headaches

• fatigue

• vomiting

• weight loss

• pneumonia
• recurrent fevers
• vaginal yeast infections

• swollen
  lymph nodes
• diarrhea
• skin
  rashes

 

How to know if you have HIV?

The only possible way to know if you are HIV positive is to get
tested. 

You can also go for self-testing at home by buying testing
kit. 

What are the tests performed for HIV?

Antibody
or Antigen Test: 

• This is a common test for checking
  the blood for antibodies and antigens and the results of it are obtained
  within 18–45 days after someone initially bears HIV. 

Nucleic
Acid Test: 

• This test is performed to detect
  HIV virus in the blood. 

This test takes the duration of about
5-21 days to be performed. 

What are the Symptoms of AIDS?

Those people who are not diagnosed with HIV develop AIDS. 

Here are the symptoms of AIDS:

• Chronic
  fatigue
• Rapid
  weight loss
• Anxiety
  and depression
• Recurrent
  fever
• Chronic
  swollen lymph glands
• Sores,
  spots on the mouth and tongue, genitals
• Chronic
  diarrhea
• Neurologic
  problems

You should get diagnosed in proper time as it helps to prevent
AIDS from getting progressed. 

What is the Treatment for HIV?

The treatment for HIV is antiretroviral therapy. It helps to
prevent the virus from reproducing.

 It protects your CD4 cells and makes your immune system
strong so that it can fight against various diseases. 

This effective treatment reduces the risk of transmitting HIV to
others.

You should never stop this treatment after starting it as the HIV
in the blood may start increasing and it further will be destroying your CD4
cells. 

What are the medications used for HIV?

There are antiretroviral therapy medications that are used to
treat HIV. 

The antiretroviral therapy medications that are used are

• Non-nucleoside
  reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
• Protease
  inhibitors     
• Fusion
  inhibitors
• Nucleoside
  reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
• Integrase
  strand transfer inhibitors
• CCR5
  antagonists

You should strictly consult your doctor before opting for any of
the above medicines.

What are the Side Effects related to it?

There are many side effects of antiretroviral therapy experienced
depending upon one person to another. Sometimes these side effects may become
serious. 

The side effects include headache, dizziness, nausea, etc. 

The serious side effects include kidney damage, swollen liver,
swelling of tongue, mouth, etc. 

How can you prevent HIV?

There are much research’s going on for developing vaccine for HIV
but till now it has not been developed. So you should take steps to prevent
HIV.

1.   
Safe Sex: Anal sex or vaginal sex is
the most common way of transmitting the HIV virus. So you should perform safer sex
with your partner by correctly using condoms. Do remember that there are
pre-seminal fluids present in the body that may contain the HIV virus. 

2.   
Get Tested: You should always have a
check of HIV and of your partner too. 

3.   
Test STI’s: Do test if you have any
STI’s increases the risk of contracting HIV. Get treated as soon as
possible. 

4.   
Take medications: If you are tested
positive for HIV then take the medications as directed by your doctor. 

5.   
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): It
is a combination of two drugs that are available in pill form. If it is taken
consistently it can lower the risk of transmitting the HIV virus. 

How can
you cope up with HIV?

Following are the tips to cope up
with HIV and to lead a happy and normal life:

·       
Take care of your health: You should
make your health to be the first priority. Eat a balanced diet, do some regular
exercises drink water, take rest and avoid consuming drugs to lead a better
life. 

·       
Do not get over-stressed.

·       
Practice sex with your partner safely
by using effective measures. 

·       
Spend time with your loved ones.

·       
Get support if required of counselors
if you find yourself in very difficult situations. 

Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

1.   
Will HIV transmission occur if both
the partners are HIV negative?
No, if both partners are HIV negative, then the transmission cannot occur.
Two partners having sex without a condom need to trust that neither partner
could catch HIV outside the relationship. 

          2. Can the sex be performed without
condoms?
HIV
negative people can have sex if:

They
both are tested HIV negative and are prone to no risk.
You are
not concerned about pregnancy
You do
not have any risks of having STI’s. 

          3.  What to do if one partner is positive
and one is negative?

If one of you is HIV positive and another one is HIV negative, you need to be careful
to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. While having sex you should use
preventive measures to avoid the risk of the HIV virus. 
Also
the one with HIV negative can use PrEP to make the risk of transmission
completely zero. 

4.    Will the other partner will also be HIV positive if he/she has sex
with an HIV-positive partner although he/she is getting diagnosed? 

No, if
the HIV partner is getting diagnosed then there are reduced risks of the other
one of getting HIV positive. 

          5.  Can I become HIV transmitted without
having sex also?
Yes,
you can become HIV transmitted as HIV can also pass from mother to child during
pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

          6. How can I protect myself from HIV?
If you
decide to have sex, reduce your risk of getting HIV by:

·       
using a condom every time you have
sex (including vaginal, or anal sex)
·       
getting tested for HIV and making
sure all partners do too
·       
reducing the number(stick to your
only one trusted partner) of sexual partners you have 
·       
getting tested and treated for STDs
(sexually transmitted diseases) as having an STD increases the risk of HIV
infection