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What is HIV? What is AIDS?

How HIV Is Spread
HIV Is Affecting More Women
HIV Symptoms
Diagnosing AIDS
Publications and Organizations

The human immunodeficiency (im-myoo-no-duh-fish-in-see) virus (HIV) causes AIDS, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. There are different types of HIV. Most people have HIV-1, but there are many strains (types); a person can become infected with more than one strain. HIV attacks the body's immune system (natural defense system against disease) by destroying one type of blood cells (CD4 cells) that helps the body fight off and destroy germs.

CD4 cells belong to a group of blood cells called T-cells that also help the body fight disease. In the body, HIV gets into these cells, makes copies of itself, and kills the healthy cells. Then the body can't fight germs anymore. When HIV takes over enough CD4 cells or causes serious infections (that don't normally make a healthy person sick), a person then has AIDS. See Diagnosing AIDS below for more information on how AIDS is defined. The progression from HIV to AIDS is different for everyone-some people live for 10 years or more with HIV without developing AIDS, and others get AIDS faster.

How HIV is spread

HIV is spread through some of the body's fluids. HIV is in:

blood
semen
vaginal fluids
breast milk
some body fluids sometimes handled by health care workers (fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord, bone joints, and around an unborn baby)

HIV is passed from one person to another by:

having sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) with a person who has HIV
sharing needles with a drug user who has HIV
during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding if a mother has HIV
getting transfusions of blood with HIV, which is rare in the United States

HIV is NOT spread by:

sitting on toilet seats
hugging, handshakes, or closed-mouth kissing (there is a small chance of getting HIV from open-mouthed or "French" kissing if there's contact with blood)
sharing food or drinks
donating blood
working with or being around some with HIV
using phones
getting bug bites
tears
swimming in pools

HIV is affecting more women.

Each year, HIV infection rates are rising in women, especially in women of color. Women are contracting HIV mostly through sexual contact with men. The second most common way women are getting HIV is through injection drug use. Consider these statistics:

African American and Hispanic American/Latina women make up less than one-fourth of all U.S. women, yet account for more than three-fourths (78%) of AIDS cases.
HIV is the leading cause of death for African American women between the ages of 25 and 44.
The rate of HIV infection is seven times higher in Hispanic American/Latina women than in White women.
HIV is beginning to rise in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. New cases of AIDS are higher for American Indians and Alaska Natives than for Whites and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, but lower than African Americans and Hispanic Americans/Latinos.

HIV symptoms

Many people have no symptoms when they first get HIV-some have no symptoms for years. It varies from person to person. But some people get a flu-like illness within a month or two after first getting HIV. The flu-like symptoms- fever, headache, fatigue (being a lot more tired than usual, and all the time), swollen lymph nodes (glands in the neck and groin)-often go away within a week. Even if there are no symptoms, HIV can still be passed to another person.

Also keep in mind that HIV is never diagnosed by the symptoms. You may have the symptoms below but not have HIV. These symptoms may be caused by something else. To find out if you have HIV, you'll need to get a test. If you find out you have HIV, there is no cure but there are ways to help keep you healthy.

It's important to remember that HIV is active inside your body, even when you don't have symptoms. As the HIV infection spreads throughout your body, you'll start to feel sick. For many people, the first symptom they notice is large lymph nodes (swollen glands) that may be enlarged for more than 3 months. Other symptoms that follow may include:

being very tired (fatigue)
quick weight loss
fevers
night sweats
headache
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
sore muscles
mouth ulcers
sore throat
rash

There are also other symptoms that are more common, serious, and harder to treat in women with HIV:

vaginal yeast infections
other vaginal infections such as bacterial vaginosis and STDs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or infection of a woman's reproductive organs
menstrual cycle changes, like not having periods or having heavy and constant bleeding
human papillomavirus (HPV) infections that cause genital warts and can lead to cervical cancer

As the immune system continues to weaken, other diseases and infections can develop that affect your eyes, digestive system, kidneys, lungs, skin, and brain. For more information, see the section on Opportunistic Infections.

Diagnosing AIDS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define AIDS as being infected with HIV and

having less than 200 CD4 cells per cubic millimeter of blood (Healthy adults have CD4 and T cell counts of 1,000 or more.)

OR
having at least one of the health problems common in people with AIDS, some of which are called opportunistic infections (OIs) (like wasting syndrome [from HIV], recurrent pneumonia, or invasive cervical cancer). These are problems that usually don't make a healthy person sick. People who have AIDS can have severe OIs, which can be fatal because their bodies can't fight them off. Click here for a list of OIs

Listed below are health problems common in people with AIDS:

coughing and shortness of breath
seizures
lack of coordination
hard or painful to swallow
hard to think and remember things
severe and persistent diarrhea
fever
loss of vision
nausea, stomach cramps, and vomiting
weight loss
feeling very tired all the time
severe headaches
diarrhea
coma
pneumonia
cancers of the skin or immune system

Last Updated: August 2004

For more information about HIV/AIDS, please see the resources below:

Publications

HIV and AIDS: Are You at Risk? - This brochure explains what HIV/AIDS is, how to know if you have it, what testing is done, and how to protect yourself from being infected.
HIV Infection and AIDS: An Overview - This fact sheet briefly describes, in layman's terms, the transmission, early and advanced (AIDS) symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and current research on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Risky behavior and measures to control the spread of HIV are also discussed.
HIV Infection In Women - AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death for women aged 25 to 44 in the United States. This fact sheet addresses the special concerns that women with HIV face.
HIV Infection in Women (Copyright © AAFP) - This publication provides information on HIV and AIDS, how women can get infected with the virus, who is at risk for the infection, how HIV differs between men and women, and precautions that can be taken to prevent contracting this disease.
How HIV Causes AIDS - This fact sheet contains an overview of the HIV virus, the scope of the HIV Epidemic, the life cycle of HIV, course of HIV infection, NIAID research, as well as a glossary of terms.
In Their Own Words: NIH Researchers Recall the Early Years of AIDS - This presentation documents how NIH researchers answered such questions when asked to recall the early days of HIV/AIDS. In launching this Web site, NIH commemorate the 20-year struggle to confront the deadly HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

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