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hiv aids j j withme open sign in about us disease areas back disease areas al amyloidosis autoimmune diseases back autoimmune diseases maternal foetal diseases myasthenia gravis mg blood cancer back blood cancer chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cll mantle cell lymphoma mcl multiple myeloma waldenström s macroglobulinemia wm cancer back cancer bladder cancer lung cancer prostate cancer gastroenterology infectious diseases vaccines back infectious diseases vaccines hiv aids neuroscience back neuroscience alzheimer s disease major depressive disorder mdd schizophrenia psoriatic disease back psoriatic disease psoriasis pso psoriatic arthritis psa pulmonary arterial hypertension rheumatology back rheumatology rheumatoid arthritis axial spondyloarthritis our initiatives back our initiatives talk lung cancer healthy lifestyle clinical trials hiv aids what are the symptoms of hiv how common is hiv treatment and care caring for someone with hiv questions to ask your doctor j j hiv glossary patient advocacy groups and external sources j j withme in your country go to country site human immunodeficiency virus hiv an hiv diagnosis can feel overwhelming and daunting but with today s modern medicine it doesn t have to be in the past those diagnosed with hiv may have feared living a life in isolation however advancements in medicine and societal perceptions of this virus have created a safe space for those with hiv and with the proper medical and emotional treatment an opportunity to live a long and happy life 1 what is hiv hiv is a chronic health condition 2 that attacks the immune system causing patients to be more vulnerable to certain infections one of the most important components of our immune systems are t cells which are used to fight off bacteria viruses infections and other unwanted invaders 2 however when hiv enters the body the virus attacks these cells lowering the number in your body like a wall slowly being chipped away without treatment the number of t cells will continue to drop giving infections that would otherwise be harmless more opportunities to do lasting damage hiv cannot be cured but it can and must be treated when it is not treated the number of t cells will fall too low causing hiv to transition into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome aids which will lead to more serious illness and even death 3 hiv makes you vulnerable to other illnesses making symptoms for hiv easy to confuse with another disease it is crucial for those in high risk groups to get tested regularly what are the symptoms of hiv symptoms of hiv can vary from person to person and will depend on the phase of the disease 3 there are three main stages of hiv acute asymptomatic and symptomatic aids in only two of these will you experience any symptoms acute symptomatic aids acute this stage occurs in the first 2 4 weeks after the virus enters your body 3 symptomatic aids if hiv is left untreated symptoms will return and eventually progress to aids 3 acute fever 3 headache muscle aches joint pain rash sore throat and mouth sores swollen lymph glands diarrhoea weight loss loss of coordination and tiredness symptomatic aids sweats 5 6 chills fever chronic diarrhoea swollen lymph glands mouth ulcers and or thrush in the mouth fatigue weight loss rashes shingles pneumonia 5 and other infections or chronic signs and symptoms even with symptoms the only way to truly know if you have the virus is to get tested 4 if you or a loved one is interested in taking a test there are two important things to know reliable hiv tests are available at a doctor s office designated community centres or mobile testing vans or even at pharmacies for you to take home and do yourself there are no tests out there that can tell you immediately if you are hiv positive or negative 7 like symptoms the time it takes can vary from person to person so if possible consult a doctor or trained test counsellor to help you understand how long you will need to wait there are three types of tests available to you tests polymerase chain reaction pcr 7 8 antigen antibody test 9 antibody test 9 tests what is it polymerase chain reaction pcr 7 8 this test is used to detect the genetic material of hiv which is called rna this test can detect the virus extremely early on and is also very accurate however they can be expensive and time labour intensive it should be considered for people who have had recent or possible exposure to hiv those with early symptoms and those who have tested negative to antigen antibody or antibody tests antigen antibody test 9 looks for specific proteins and molecules that are produced when hiv is present this is usually a blood test and can be done by drawing a full blood sample or as a rapid test by pricking the finger antibody test 9 only looks for certain proteins in the bloodstream all at home tests and most rapid tests fall under this category and are taken by pricking the finger or swabbing the inside of your mouth tests window period polymerase chain reaction pcr 7 8 one to four weeks after exposure antigen antibody test 9 18 45 days after exposure rapid tests will take 18 90 days antibody test 9 23 90 days after exposure how common is hiv around 39 9 million people globally live with hiv with slightly less than 3 million living in europe 10 since the virus first appeared in 1959 scientists have been able to pinpoint specific ways people can be exposed to this virus helping others lessen their risk hiv is contracted through contact with certain bodily fluids specifically blood semen pre seminal fluid rectal and vaginal fluids and breast milk 11 you cannot spread the virus through coughing sneezing sweating or simply touching someone else there are four common ways that people contract hiv having sex without a condom sharing needles receiving a contaminated blood transfusion or in some cases having it passed in the womb or through breast milk while anyone can get hiv some groups are at a higher risk for contracting the virus than others and should consider more regular testing and prevention methods including 2 gay and bisexual men those who use injection based drugs sex workers and their clients transgender persons those with hiv and aids today are living with greater odds for a chance at a long and normal life than ever before the number of deaths from aids has declined 69 since its global highpoint in 2004 and 77 of all people living with hiv were accessing the treatment they need 12 it has also been found that the life expectancy of those who have hiv is very similar to those who do not 13 treatment and care unfortunately there is no cure for hiv right now but there are many treatments available that let you live and love safely without worrying about transmitting the virus to someone you care about prevention for those groups that are more likely to be exposed there are two types of medications that can help prevent catching hiv 14 pre exposure prophylaxis prep can significantly reduce the risk of catching the virus during intercourse taken either as a pill or a vaginal gel the medication makes it harder for hiv to grow in your body prep is shown to reduce risk by 92 99 effective if taken daily 14 post exposure prophylaxis pep can help reduce the risk of infection after an encounter or suspected encounter with hiv unlike prep which is a long term solution pep is a short term month long plan of antiretroviral treatment art it s important to start pep within 72 hours of exposure to hiv for it to work best if you think they might have been exposed seek pep right away 15 treatment imagining a life with hiv can seem impossible but with today s breakthroughs in modern medicine many go on to pursue their passions start families and experience life without ever showing symptoms of the virus again the name for hiv treatment is antiretroviral treatment or art and is a combination of drugs used to lower the amount of the virus in your body 16 preventing hiv from becoming aids is possible but patients need to be treated regularly which can be difficult hiv treatment is a long term solution but by sticking to a regimen patients can continue to flourish as they did before their diagnosis the side effects that come with art are mostly mild if any the most common ones associated with art are nausea or diarrhoea art consists of a combination of drugs taken as a pill or as a long acting injectable regime which can make treatment as easy as adding one more daily routine in the morning with art you can remain asymptomatic or your virus undetectable which means the virus cannot be detected by routine tests 16 it also means you cannot pass the virus to someone who is hiv negative 17 caring for someone with hiv an hiv positive diagnosis can be ground shaking both for the patient and their loved ones when supporting a loved one who has been diagnosed it is important to be open empathetic and communicative in the early decades of the epidemic those with hiv diagnoses were often avoided at all costs creating a dangerous atmosphere that would cause many to go on untreated 18 with more and better tolerated treatments available now to help people with hiv live normal lives as long as they feel comfortable asking for help caregivers and loved ones must reinforce that this journey is one they will not have to walk alone it is okay to feel anxious or apprehensive as the spouse partner or loved one of someone with hiv like any partnership it s important to communicate openly about these feelings and have conversations about what life will look like in 5 10 or 20 years from diagnosis thanks to scientific innovation the mysteries that once shrouded this virus have been pulled away take this opportunity to learn together and create a plan to live life responsibly safely and happily 18 questions to ask your doctor the list below includes example questions to help start a conversation with your health care provider there may be other relevant questions based on your symptoms stage and medical history that are not listed here when should i start taking art after being diagnosed with hiv i am transgender will art affect my hormone therapy what are the signs of having an infection and how can i prevent it what daily habits can i adopt to stay healthy how often should i be testing my viral load how often should my partner be tested for hiv does my partner need to be on prep if i am taking art how can i tell if my immune system is beginning to lose strength am i more likely to get hiv if i have another sexually transmitted infection can i have children if i am undetectable j j hiv j j is committed to finding breakthrough treatments and an eventual cure for hiv and aids through global partnerships and scientific advancements j j is focusing on new preventative vaccine regimens and treatments at j j our teams are working tirelessly not only to develop new innovative approaches to medicine but also to spread treatment accessibility to hiv positive people in impoverished or underserved nations and to continue to end the stigmas associated with this now manageable viral condition we ve already changed the face of hiv and we can change it again glossary hiv viral load the amount of hiv present in the bloodstream cd4 cells t cells cells that make up your immune system used to fight off infection cd4 count the number of t cells in your body antiretroviral treatment a drug therapy that can control the viral load and keep people from passing the virus onto others undetectable when a patient s viral load cannot be detected in the blood anymore using standard tests and they cannot pass the virus to someone who is hiv negative seropositive testing positively for hiv asymptomatic living hiv positive but without any symptoms or outward signs of the infection antigen a molecule found in a virus that will activate the body s immune system patient advocacy groups and external sources this website is developed exclusively by j j please note that the patient advocacy groups and external sources listed below are an additional and independent source of information you might find useful these groups and sources were not involved in the creation of this website and do not endorse its content in any way world aids day december 1st is world aids day a time to show solidarity with the millions of people who live with hiv and aids every day in an effort to end the stigmas associated with this condition see how you can donate or get involved in your community this year explore references https www hiv gov hiv basics overview about hiv and aids what are hiv and aids https www who int news room fact sheets detail hiv aids https ada com conditions acute hiv infection https www cdc gov hiv about index html cdc_disease_basics_symptoms symptoms https www tht org uk hiv about hiv symptoms hiv https www cdc gov shingles about index html https www cdc gov hiv testing index html text nucleic 20acid 20test 20 nat text a 20nat 20can 20detect 20hiv antibody 20or 20antigen antibody 20test https stanfordhealthcare org medical conditions sexual and reproductive health hiv aids diagnosis pcr html https www cdc gov hiv testing index html https www who int europe news room fact sheets item hiv aids in the who european region text according 20to 20a 202022 20estimate hiv 20diagnoses 20given 20too 20late https www mayoclinic org diseases conditions hiv aids symptoms causes syc 20373524 https www unaids org en resources fact sheet https www aidsmap com about hiv life expectancy people living hiv https www hiv gov hiv basics hiv prevention using hiv medication to reduce risk pre exposure prophylaxis https www cdc gov hiv prevention https www cdc gov hiv treatment https www healthline com health hiv aids words you should know https www cdc gov hiv health equity get in touch twitter linkedin youtube instagram janssen pharmaceutica nv 2025 this site is published by janssen pharmaceutica nv which is solely responsible for its content it is 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