Treatments of HIV and AIDS

There is a lot of fear that goes along with AIDS and HIV. Since it first started to show up in the early 1980s, there has been a large amount of fear present with this epidemic. People are scared that they will get it, so they are already concerned about the various treatments. While there are plenty of scientists working to find a cure for HIV and AIDS, they haven't yet found one. Instead, medication for the illness is used as a treatment rather than a cure.

Before you worry too much about the treatment for AIDS and HIV, you must first learn about the actual virus. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus while AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Essentially, AIDS is an advanced version of HIV. There are many people who have HIV but do not have AIDS, but it can't go the other way around. If you have AIDS, then you have HIV as well.

This virus can be contracted several ways. You basically need to come into contact with certain fluids that are infected with the virus, including blood. This also applies to vaginal fluid, semen and pre-seminal fluid. For children, AIDS can be contracted through breast milk. If you have HIV and your child was born without it, you should avoid breastfeeding in order to save your child from this harmful virus.

In order to determine if you have HIV, you need to take a test. This test is administered by nurses or doctors in health clinics. They will take your blood and send it out for testing. It usually then takes a few days to a few weeks in order to find out the results. If you find out, through the use of these tests, that you are positive for the virus, you'll need to start treatment right away. With help from the treatment, HIV and AIDS symptoms can greatly diminish.

Highly active antiresonator therapy, known as HART for short, is the main way that AIDS and HIV is treated. These consist of several different drugs, commonly called a cocktail. It may take a while for your doctor to figure out what works for you. They will put you on different HAART medication combinations to see what works and what does not. Eventually, you will be taking the right amount and combination of medications that will keep you as healthy as possible.

While these medications and treatments don't cure AIDS and HIV, they do help. They can reduce the chance of your giving the virus to others. They also help you fend off any other illnesses that you could get sick with because of your hampered immune system. Your quality of life could drastically improve if you were on these medications.

Not only that, but you could live much longer on these medications. For example, if you don't go on the treatment when you have HIV, you will only live for nine to eleven more years after you were infected. If you are on the treatment, this lifespan will double. This makes a significant impact on your health and life when you are on the medications. Because of this, doctors and nurses will encourage you to do so.

If you do not have health insurance and are low on funds, you likely won't need to worrying about the cost of the medications. There are organizations and government programs out there that help people who need treatment for AIDS and HIV. Contact them once you find out that you are sick. Your doctor may even be able to help you contact the appropriate organization that can help you with this.