If the test is positive (meaning that HIV antibodies or antigens are found), a test to detect HIV DNA or RNA will be done to be sure. Most doctors use a blood test to diagnose HIV infection. If a test on urine or saliva shows that you are infected with HIV, you will probably have a blood test to confirm the results. Doctors use tests to find these HIV antibodies or antigens in urine, saliva, or blood. If you have been exposed to HIV, your immune system will make antibodies to try to destroy the virus. These symptoms usually include:Ī doctor may suspect HIV if symptoms last and no other cause can be found. After a certain point, symptoms reappear and then remain. The early symptoms usually go away within 2 to 3 weeks.Īfter the early symptoms go away, an infected person may not have symptoms again for many years. Symptoms may appear from a few days to several weeks after a person is first infected. People who do have symptoms may mistake them for the flu or mono.
So it can't be spread by casual contact like kissing or sharing drinking glasses with an infected person. HIV doesn't survive well outside the body. The virus can also be passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.Another common way of getting it is by sharing drug needles with someone who is infected with HIV.Most people get the virus by having unprotected sex with someone who has HIV.You can get HIV from contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids.
HIV infection is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. HIV-2 infection is uncommon in North America. HIV-2, which causes an AIDS-like illness.HIV-1, which causes almost all the cases of AIDS worldwide.With treatment, many people with HIV are able to live long and active lives. If AIDS does develop, medicines can often help the immune system return to a healthier state.
When HIV is diagnosed before it becomes AIDS, medicines can slow or stop the damage to the immune system. Even without treatment, it takes a long time for HIV to progress to AIDS-usually 10 to 12 years. These can be deadly.īut having HIV doesn't mean you have AIDS. People with AIDS have a low number of CD4+ cells and get infections or cancers that rarely occur in healthy people. The last stage of HIV infection is AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). If too many CD4+ cells are destroyed, the body can no longer defend itself against infection. HIV infects and destroys certain white blood cells called CD4+ cells. Both the virus and the infection it causes are called HIV.Īre an important part of the immune system. Without a strong immune system, the body has trouble fighting off disease. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system, the body's natural defense system. Topic Overview What is HIV? What is AIDS?