The phases of AIDS development

The infected person, it doesn\'t depend to the phase of AIDS development, can infect other people in certain situations.

AIDS develops in phases. The period of lasting particular phase depends on lots of factors such as: body conditions, the lifestyle and it can\'t be said precociously how long the phase would last for the infected person.

However, reduction of the number of T4 lymphocytes causes the symptoms and HIV progresses to AIDS.

a) Acute retrovirus illness

In 24 hours from the moment of virus\'s infection it goes to the blood system. In 48 - 72 hours it goes to the receptive where it multiplies. Acute, original HIV, infection (appears in 50%-90% infected people and it is very rarely diagnosed correctly) with attendant illness symptoms look like flu. The symptoms include: temperature, enlargement of receptive, sore throat, diarrhea and nausea, sore mouth, genitals, rash mostly on face and body, joint and muscles\' aches. At the same time the antibodies start appearing in blood but the concentration is impossible to be found. Acute illness symptoms disappear in two weeks but the enlargement of lymph node lasts longer.

b) The period of latent infection

This is a period when the infection exists but there are not any clinical symptoms. Physical and mental state and life activity of HIV carriers aren\'t different from healthy people. They can perform their profession and actively participate in social life. Tests show the lymphocytes and we are able to say that the person is ill. The number of T4 lymphocytes gradually reduces to less than 500/ 1 mm3.

c) Early symptomatic phase

In this phase we can notice: chronically mycoses of the oral cavity, the vagina, the vulva that come back and are hard to treat, degenerative changes of cervix, chronically diarrhea, shingles, inflammatory changes of reproductive organs.

Blood tests show the reduction of the number of the white cells, there can be also anemia and the count of thrombocytes may go down.

The number of T4 lymphocytes still reduces to 200 / 1 mm3.

d) AIDS with all its symptoms

In this phase, the number of CD4 cells goes down to less than 200 and that\'s there are:

• In this phase, the number of CD4 cells goes down to less than 200 and that\'s there are:
• mycoses of digestive and respiratory tracts
• chronic diarrhea
• weakness and muscle atrophy
• - cancers
• chronic herpes with ulceration
• tuberculosis that very often occurs among AIDS sufferers and is also the main cause of death of HIV infected people
• brain infections
• sight impairment and blindness