What Does Hiv Stand For In Medical Terms

Can Hiv Be Prevented

To reduce the risk of getting HIV, people who are sexually active should:

• use a condom every time they have sex
• get tested for HIV and make sure all partners do too
• reduce their number of sexual partners
• get tested and treated for STDs having an STD increases the risk of HIV infection
• consider taking a medicine every day if they are at very high risk of getting infected

For everyone:

• Do not inject drugs or share any kind of needle.
• Do not share razors or other personal objects that may touch blood.
• Do not touch anyone else’s blood from a cut or sore.

Common Names For Hiv/aids

There are many common names for HIV/AIDS which varies among different cultures, languages and regions in the world. Example : isandulela ngculazi is the Zulu word for AIDS, widely used in South Africa which has the highest HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate. HIV/AIDS is a global problem affecting every sector of the human population and the disease is perceived differently based on ignorance, misconceptions and cultural and religious beliefs.

The most common names for HIV/AIDS refers to the wasting which typically occurs in the latter stages of the disease. This is often referred to as the thins or slims disease, a term very often used in Africa in the native tongue. Less politically correct names had emerged in the 1980s and early 1990s at a time when the disease was only associated with gay men and homosexual behavior. These misconceptions have been allayed in recent years as HIV is more often spread in heterosexual couples.

What Are The Symptoms Of Hiv And Aids

Within 2 to 4 weeks after infection with HIV, some people may have flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, or rash. The symptoms may last for a few days to several weeks. Other possible symptoms of HIV include night sweats, muscle aches, sore throat, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and mouth ulcers. Having these symptoms do not mean you have HIV. Other illnesses can cause the same symptoms. Some people may not feel sick during early HIV infection . During this earliest stage of HIV infection, the virus multiplies rapidly. After the initial stage of infection, HIV continues to multiply but at very low levels.

More severe symptoms of HIV infection, such as a badly damaged immune system and signs of opportunistic infections, generally do not appear for many years until HIV has advanced to AIDS. People with AIDS have badly damaged immune systems that make them prone to opportunistic infections.

Without treatment with HIV medicines, HIV infection usually advances to AIDS in 10 years or longer, though it may advance faster in some people.

HIV transmission is possible at any stage of HIV infectioneven if a person with HIV has no symptoms of HIV.

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How Do You Get Aids

You dont actually get AIDS. You might get infected with HIV, and later you might develop AIDS. You can get infected with HIV from anyone whos infected, even if they dont look sick and even if they havent tested HIV-positive yet. The blood, vaginal fluid, semen, and breast milk of people infected with HIV has enough of the virus in it to infect other people. Most people get the HIV virus by:

• having sex with an infected person
• sharing a needle with someone whos infected
• being born when their mother is infected, or drinking the breast milk of an infected woman

Getting a transfusion of infected blood used to be a way people got AIDS, but now the blood supply is screened very carefully and the risk is extremely low.

There are no documented cases of HIV being transmitted by tears or saliva, but it is possible to be infected with HIV through oral sex or in rare cases through deep kissing, especially if you have open sores in your mouth or bleeding gums. For more information, see the following Fact Sheets:

• 152: How Risky Is It?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 to 1.2 million U.S. residents are living with HIV infection or AIDS about a quarter of them do not know they have it. About 75 percent of the 40,000 new infections each year are in men, and about 25 percent in women. About half of the new infections are in Blacks, even though they make up only 12 percent of the US population.

Opportunistic Infections And Cancer

Late-stage HIV reduces the ability of the body to combat a range of infections and associated complications and types of cancer.

Current treatment is often effective enough to keep many infections at bay. If a person with HIV does not receive treatment, latent infections that once caused minimal or no health problems can pose a serious risk. Doctors refer to these infections as opportunistic. Below are some that can signal to a doctor that a person has AIDS:

• candidiasis of the bronchi, trachea, esophagus, and lungs
• coccidioidomycosis
• recurrent Salmonella septicemia
• toxoplasmosis

Candidiasis is a fungal infection that typically occurs in the skin and nails, but it often causes serious problems in the esophagus and lower respiratory tract in people with AIDS.

Inhalation of the fungus Coccidioides immitis causes coccidioidomycosis. A doctor may refer to this infection in healthy people as valley fever.

Cryptococcosis is an infection with Cryptococcus neoformans fungus. Any part of the body may be involved, but the fungus usually enters the lungs and triggers pneumonia. It may also lead to swelling of the brain.

Cryptosporidiosis is an infection with the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium. It can lead to severe abdominal cramps and chronic, watery diarrhea.

Meanwhile, infection with a fungus called Pneumocystis jirovecii can cause breathlessness, a dry cough, and a high fever in people with suppressed immune systems, including some people with HIV.

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Aids Diagnosis Is More Complicated

AIDS is late stage HIV infection. Healthcare providers look for a few factors to determine if HIV latency has progressed to stage 3 HIV.

Because HIV destroys immune cells called CD4 cells, one way healthcare providers diagnose AIDS is to do a count of those cells. A person without HIV can have anywhere from 500 to 1,200 CD4 cells. When the cells have dropped to 200, a person with HIV is considered to have stage 3 HIV.

Another factor signaling that stage 3 HIV has developed is the presence of opportunistic infections. Opportunistic infections are diseases caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that would not make a person with an undamaged immune system sick.

How The Definition Changed

Since the last revision of the list of AIDS-defining conditions was issued in 2008, the CDC definition of AIDS has remained largely unchanged. What has changed is how the definition is used.

Back in the 1980s and early-1990s, the CDC’s definition of AIDS was used to establish when a person was eligible for Social Security disability and other forms of financial or medical assistance. Because an AIDS diagnosis was still associated with a high risk of death, having a CD4 count of 200 was often enough to establish a person as permanently disabled.

The same criteria would not apply today. Because HIV is now considered a chronically managed condition , people who meet the definition of AIDS will need to undergo a case-by-case evaluation to determine if they are, in fact, disabled under the terms of the law.

At the same time, healthcare providers are using the term “AIDS” less and less todayâin part because of the fluidity of the definition, but also because the prognosis for many AIDS-related conditions has improved dramatically over time. If anything, the term is used more for surveillance purposes than anything else.

On top of this, “AIDS” remains a highly stigmatized term, and, in its place, many healthcare providers and advocates prefer the term “advanced HIV infection” when describing the stage of the disease.

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Should We Use Hs Medical Acronym Or Not

As explained earlier, the use of hs in medical abbreviations has been confronted. It creates ambiguity in the already hectic schedule of a medical workplace. Hence, it is advisable by many professionals to completely avoid the use. Others state that HS MEDICAL ABBREVIATION is a standard reference, and any medical staff should know the context of where and why it has been used. Although the two mindsets still exist, the use of this abbreviation is slowly diminishing, and in cases where it is used, the meaning is elaborated. It may not be long before a new standard for the use of such abbreviations is set to avoid confusion and ambiguity.

FAQS:

Hs mean in medical line.

Can Hiv/aids Be Prevented

You can reduce the risk of spreading HIV by:

• Getting tested for HIV
• Choosing less risky sexual behaviors. This includes limiting the number of sexual partners you have and using latex condoms every time you have sex. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.
• Getting tested and treated for sexually transmitted diseases
• Not injecting drugs
• Talking to your health care provider about medicines to prevent HIV:
• PrEP is for people who don’t already have HIV but are at very high risk of getting it. PrEP is daily medicine that can reduce this risk.
• PEP is for people who have possibly been exposed to HIV. It is only for emergency situations. PEP must be started within 72 hours after a possible exposure to HIV.

NIH: National Institutes of Health

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Hiv And Aids Diagnosis

HIV tests check your blood or fluid from your mouth for antibodies that your body makes in response to the virus. You can take them at a doctorâs office, a community health center, a hospital, or at home.

When you have HIV, your doctor will keep an eye on how much of the virus is in your system. You might hear them call it your âviral load.â Two things will tell them if your infection has become AIDS:

• Your CD4 count. A person with a healthy immune system has 500 to 1,600 CD4 cells in a cubic millimeter of their blood. A person with AIDS has fewer than 200. This number is called your âCD4 count.â
• AIDS-defining infections. These are also called opportunistic infections. These generally happen in people who have a CD4 count below 200. Viruses, bacteria, or fungi that donât usually make healthy people sick can cause these infections in someone with HIV or AIDS.

How long it takes HIV to become AIDS is different for everyone. If you donât get treatment, it might take 10 to 15 years. With treatment, you may never have AIDS.

Who Can Be Tested With The Hiv Rna Test

• Anyone who is known to have potential Exposure to HIV-1 in the past 12 weeks thru
• Unprotected sex
• High risk behavior by sharing non-sterile needles
• Exposure to HIV infected blood

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Favorite Hiv Home Testing Resources

Need to take an STD test, but dont want to leave your home? myLab Box offers kits that screen for STDs like HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, HPV, and more. Depending on the test, youll mail in a small sample of urine, a vaginal swab, or a prick of blood, and youll get your results in one to five days.

Testing couldnt be any more convenient. This in-home HIV test is approved by the FDA and doesnt require sending a sample to a lab. You can test yourself in the privacy of your own home with an oral swab. The kit gives you a result in 20 to 40 minutes.

Research And Statistics: How Many People Have Hiv/aids

In 2019, close to 37,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in the United States, according to the latest figures available from the CDC. The annual number decreased by approximately 9 percent between 2015 and 2019.

The CDC further estimates that roughly 1.2 million people in the United States were living with HIV at the end of 2019, and that about 13 percent of those individuals were unaware they were HIV-positive.

Anyone can acquire HIV, but the prevalence of HIV is not the same in all communities and varies depending on social and demographic factors.

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How Can I Know If I Have Hiv

The only way to know if you have HIV is to take an HIV test. Many medical groups recommend routine voluntary HIV screening of all patients aged 18 to 75 years of age as a normal part of medical care. The reason for this is that nearly one out of seven people infected with HIV are not aware that they have the infection.

Stage : Acute Hiv Infection

Within the first two to four weeks after HIV infection, about two-thirds of people will experience symptoms that feel like a really bad flu. As the immune system rallies to fight off the virus, fever may develop along with additional symptoms, such as sore throat, swollen glands, mouth sores, rashes, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, and muscle and joint pain.

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Emergency Hiv Pills: Pep

72 hours should speak with a healthcare provider about PEP. This medication may be able to stop the infection, especially if a person takes it as soon as possible after the potential exposure.

A person takes PEP for 28 days, and a doctor monitors the person for HIV afterward. PEP is not 100% effective, so it is important to use prevention techniques, such as barrier protection and safe injection practices, including while taking PEP.

How Long Can I Live With Hiv

First, understand that it isnât actually HIV or even AIDS that will cause the death of a person. Deaths ultimately result from their bodyâs inability to fight off infection from foreign invaders due to their diminished immune systems and the damage the virus does to those immune systems.

The earlier an HIV infected patient is able to get medical care, the better the chances are for a long, healthy life.

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Patient Discussion About Aids

Q. Why AID spred? and How?

A.

Q. The HIV test came back POSITIVE! My very close friend ‘Demonte’. One day in December as he was returning from a business trip, his wife met him at the airport with terrible news. During a routine pregnancy check up, her doctor had administered an HIV test along with other blood-work. The HIV test came back POSITIVE! The doctor wanted to begin administering drugs immediately but the cost of these drugs here when compared to their family income was prohibitive. I helped him with some of my savings. He already sold his favorite sentimental car to save his precious wife. Now i want to know is there any NATURAL medicine to cure this? Hope it costs less and available.

A.

Testing Process For Hiv Rna

The testing process for HIV RNA is convenient and simple. If you are looking to be tested, then follow the steps below.

• Locate your testing center close to you by entering in your zip code.
• Fill out the form with your information and make your payment.
• You will get an email that has a Lab Requisition Form that has a testing code. The address of your testing center will also be included.
• Print out the form and testing code and take it to the testing center.
• Get tested in just 5 minutes using a small blood sample.
• You will receive your results in 1-2 days.
• If your test is positive, you will have a consultation with a doctor over the phone.

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How Do You Get Hiv

HIV is carried in semen , vaginal fluids, anal mucus, blood, and breast milk. The virus gets in your body through cuts or sores in your skin, and through mucous membranes . You can get HIV from:

• having vaginal or anal sex

• sharing needles or syringes for shooting drugs, piercings, tattoos, etc.

• getting stuck with a needle that has HIV-infected blood on it

• getting HIV-infected blood, semen , or vaginal fluids into open cuts or sores on your body

HIV is usually spread through having unprotected sex. Using condoms and/or dental dams every time you have sex and not sharing needles can help protect you and your partners from HIV. If you do have HIV, treatment can lower or even stop the chances of spreading the virus to other people during sex. If you dont have HIV, theres also a daily medicine called PrEP that can protect you from HIV.

HIV can also be passed to babies during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding. A pregnant woman with HIV can take medicine to greatly reduce the chance that her baby will get HIV.

HIV isnt spread through saliva , so you CANT get HIV from kissing, sharing food or drinks, or using the same fork or spoon. HIV is also not spread through hugging, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. And you cant get HIV from a toilet seat.

What Happens If Im Hiv Positive

You might not know if you get infected by HIV. Some people get fever, headache, sore muscles and joints, stomach ache, swollen lymph glands, or a skin rash for one or two weeks. Most people think its the flu. Some people have no symptoms. Fact Sheet 103 has more information on the early stage of HIV infection.

The virus will multiply in your body for a few weeks or even months before your immune system responds. During this time, you wont test positive for HIV, but you can infect other people.

When your immune system responds, it starts to make antibodies. When this happens, you will test positive for HIV.

After the first flu-like symptoms, some people with HIV stay healthy for ten years or longer. But during this time, HIV is damaging your immune system.

One way to measure the damage to your immune system is to count your CD4 cells you have. These cells, also called T-helper cells, are an important part of the immune system. Healthy people have between 500 and 1,500 CD4 cells in a milliliter of blood. Fact Sheet 124 has has more information on CD4 cells.

Without treatment, your CD4 cell count will most likely go down. You might start having signs of HIV disease like fevers, night sweats, diarrhea, or swollen lymph nodes. If you have HIV disease, these problems will last more than a few days, and probably continue for several weeks.

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