World AIDS Day 2022: World AIDS Day is observed on 1 December every year when people show support to people living with HIV and remember those who have died from AIDS and related diseases. This year the theme of World AIDS Day is ‘Equalize’. It aims to end the inequalities that are holding back progress in ending AIDS. The common man often makes the mistake of considering HIV and AIDS as the same but there is a clear difference between the two. Dr Kiran G Kulirankal, Infectious Diseases Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, talks to us about care, treatment and the difference between AIDS and HIV.
In 1981—acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first described—following reports of an increased incidence of uncommon infections such as Kaposi sarcoma, a cancerous rash on the skin, and Pneumocystis carinii infection, which is an uncommon pneumonia in normal individuals.
HIV vs AIDS: Difference
The first thing to note is that HIV is a virus that can cause an infection whereas AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a condition. AIDS occurs only after contracting HIV, but not all cases of HIV develop AIDS.
AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which progressively reduces the effectiveness of the body’s immune system, leaving a person unable to fight off infection. The result is an increased susceptibility to various opportunistic infections and infection-associated maladies.
How HIV is spread and develops into AIDS
HIV is spread through sexual contact, exposure to blood and blood products (IV drug abuse), etc. HIV can also be transmitted from infected mothers to babies, which is known as vertical transmission, says Dr Kiran G Kulirankal.
He adds that untreated HIV disease is a chronic progressive process that begins with the initial infection often referred to as primary HIV syndrome and then progresses to the late stage, AIDS, in adults over a period of more than 10 years.
Dr Kulirankal says, “A gradual increase in the viral load is observed with a consequent decrease in the body’s immunity (CD4 immune cells and its count). The lower the count, the higher the degree of immunosuppression.”
HIV symptoms and care
“HIV is associated with a wide variety of clinical manifestations depending on which they are grouped. Unexplained fever, enlargement of lymph nodes, weight loss, and skin rash are common symptoms. Death is usually due to tuberculosis. The disease is secondary to opportunistic infections such as parasites and fungi. Infections of the brain, pneumonia, tumors and malignancies,” says Dr. Kulirankal.
But there’s good news. Doctors point out that with the development of affordable and highly effective anti-retroviral therapy (ART), HIV is no longer a death sentence. Patients who are diagnosed early and started on ART can lead a normal life.