HIV

Summary

What is HIV?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It harms your immune system by destroying a type of white blood cell that helps your body fight infection. This puts you at risk for serious infections and certain cancers.

What is AIDS?

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the final stage of infection with HIV. It happens when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus. Not everyone with HIV develops AIDS.

How does HIV spread?

HIV can spread in different ways:

• Through unprotected sex with a person with HIV. This is the most common way that it spreads.
• By sharing drug needles.
• Through contact with the blood of a person with HIV.
• From mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

Who is at risk for HIV infection?

Anyone can get HIV, but certain groups have a higher risk of getting it:

• People who have another sexually transmitted disease (STD). Having an STD can increase your risk of getting or spreading HIV.
• People who inject drugs with shared needles.
• Gay and bisexual men.
• Black/African Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans. They make up a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses and people with HIV, compared to other races and ethnicities.
• People who engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as not using condoms.

Factors such as stigma, discrimination, income, education, and geographic region can also affect people’s risk for HIV.

What are the symptoms of HIV/AIDS?

The first signs of HIV infection may be flu-like symptoms:

• Fever
• Chills
• Rash
• Night sweats
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Mouth ulcers

These symptoms may come and go within two to four weeks. This stage is called acute HIV infection.

If the infection is not treated, it becomes chronic HIV infection. Often, there are no symptoms during this stage. If it is not treated, eventually the virus will weaken your body’s immune system. Then the infection will progress to AIDS. This is the late stage of HIV infection. With AIDS, your immune system is badly damaged. You can get more and more severe infections. These are known as opportunistic infections (OIs).

Some people may not feel sick during the earlier stages of HIV infection. So the only way to know for sure whether you have HIV is to get tested.

How do I know if I have HIV?

A blood test can tell if you have HIV infection. Your health care provider can do the test, or you can use a home testing kit. You can also use the CDC Testing Locator to find free testing sites.

What are the treatments for HIV/AIDS?

There is no cure for HIV infection, but it can be treated with medicines. This is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART can make HIV infection a manageable chronic condition. It also reduces the risk of spreading the virus to others.

Most people with HIV live long and healthy lives if they get and stay on ART. It’s also important to take care of yourself. Making sure that you have the support you need, living a healthy lifestyle, and getting regular medical care can help you enjoy a better quality of life.

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 (STDs).
• Not injecting drugs.
• Talking to your health care provider about medicines to prevent HIV:
  • PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) 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 (post-exposure prophylaxis) 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

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Patient Handouts

• Asymptomatic HIV infection Medical Encyclopedia
• Bloodborne pathogens Medical Encyclopedia
• Condom Fact Sheet in Brief Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV/AIDS Medical Encyclopedia
• Screening and diagnosis for HIV Medical Encyclopedia
• T-cell count Medical Encyclopedia

Diagnosis and Tests

• At-Home Medical Tests National Library of Medicine
• CD4 Lymphocyte Count National Library of Medicine
• Facts About In-Home HIV Testing Food and Drug Administration
• Get Tested for HIV Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
• Get the Facts about HIV Testing National Library of Medicine
• HIV Screening Test National Library of Medicine
• HIV Testing National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research
• HIV Testing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV Viral Load National Library of Medicine
• Information Regarding the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test Food and Drug Administration
• Understanding HIV Test Results HIV.gov

Encyclopedia

• B and T cell screen Medical Encyclopedia

Statistics and Research

• Basic HIV/AIDS Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV and African American Gay and Bisexual Men Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV and African American People Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV and Transgender People Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV in the United States and Dependent Areas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV in the United States by Age Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV in the United States by Race/Ethnicity Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV Statistics Overview Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Microbicides HIV.gov
• The Science Is Clear: With HIV, Undetectable Equals Untransmittable National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• What is a Therapeutic HIV Vaccine? National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Clinicalinfo: Information on HIV/AIDS Treatment, Prevention, and Research HIV.gov
• HIV.gov HIV.gov
• HIVinfo National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research
• NIAID Division of AIDS National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: HIV Infections National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: HIV/AIDS Vaccines National Institutes of Health
• HIV and AIDS Clinical Trials National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research

Related Issues

• Drug Use and Viral Infections (HIV, Hepatitis) National Institute on Drug Abuse
• HIV and Hepatitis B National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research
• HIV and Hepatitis C National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research
• HIV and Pulmonary Hypertension Pulmonary Hypertension Association
• HIV and Substance Use National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research
• HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research
• HIV Risk Among Persons Who Exchange Sex for Money or Nonmonetary Items Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• How to Take Care of Your Mental Health with HIV National Library of Medicine
• Substance Use and HIV Risk HIV.gov
• Vaccinations for Adults with HIV Infection Immunization Action Coalition

Start Here

• Get the Facts about HIV National Library of Medicine
• HIV / AIDS National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• HIV and AIDS: The Basics National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research
• HIV Basics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Treatments and Therapies

• Get the Facts about HIV Medical Care National Library of Medicine
• Get the Facts about HIV Medicines National Library of Medicine
• HIV/AIDS Medicines: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine

Reference Desk

• Glossary HIV.gov
• HIV Life Cycle National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research

Children

• HIV and AIDS Nemours Foundation

Teenagers

• HIV and AIDS Nemours Foundation
• How Do People Get AIDS? Nemours Foundation

Men

• HIV and All Gay and Bisexual Men Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV and Gay and Bisexual Men National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research

Older Adults

• HIV and Older People National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research
• HIV, AIDS, and Older Adults National Institute on Aging

Prevention and Risk Factors

• HIV Risk and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV Transmission Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• HIV: PrEP and PEP: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine
• How to Protect Yourself from Getting HIV through Drug Use National Library of Medicine
• How to Protect Yourself from Getting HIV through Sex National Library of Medicine
• The Basics of HIV Prevention National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research
• What is a Preventive HIV Vaccine? National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research

Women

• HIV/AIDS in Women: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine

Living With

• How to Stay Healthy with HIV National Library of Medicine
• What to Do after Finding Out You Have HIV National Library of Medicine

Images

• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Primary Infection VisualDX

Journal Articles

• HIV/AIDS

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

• Study Shows Kidney Transplants Between People with HIV is Safe

Symptoms

• Symptoms of HIV HIV.gov