Treatment for aids. HIV Healing

About how to treat AIDS, now think and argue specialists from around the world. About the causative agent of the disease, which was called the "plague of the twentieth century", first started talking in the late seventies - in the early eighties of the last century. The first scientists who spoke about the fact that the infection is caused by a certain virus were the Americans R. Gallo and M. Essex. It is a type of person causing a certain type of leukemia retrovirus. A little later, researchers proved that the occurrence of AIDS provokes the human immunodeficiency virus, classified as lymphotropic retroviruses. Its peculiarity consists in selectivity: it multiplies only in one group of cells. We are talking about the so-called helper - T-lymphocytes involved in cellular immunity. HIV, entering the body, first violates their action, and then the cells themselves, where they are contained. As a result, a person becomes completely defenseless against viruses, microbes, fungi, which previously were not dangerous for him, as they were destroyed by the immune system.

How to cure aids

It is incorrect to speak about the treatment of AIDS, which is the last stage of HIV infection. Therefore, it is more correct to say the treatment of patients with HIV infection. It consists in the use of special drugs that suppress the reproduction of the virus. This allows you to delay the thermal stage of the disease, which is deadly.

Drug therapy begins after confirming the diagnosis of HIV infection.

The choice of therapy for each patient the doctor selects individually. This is based on the degree of risk and characteristics of the human body. The decision to start treatment is made depending on the progression of the infection and the degree of expression of immunodeficiency.

The beginning of antiretroviral therapy before the appearance of bright signs of the disease has a longer and more pronounced effect.

Therapy is prescribed for acute infection. The main principle of the treatment of AIDS, as well as of many other viral diseases, is timeliness.

Opportunistic diseases

Aids is treated by suppressing lymphomas DNS, Kaposi's sarcoma, pneumonia. Treatment of opportunistic infections and oncological diseases is carried out by chemotherapy and high doses of antibiotics, and mainly by their combinations. Choosing drugs, they take into account the sensitivity of a person and the functional state of his kidneys, because drugs have properties to accumulate in the body.

The success of therapy depends on how closely the method is followed and on the duration of treatment..

Now, for opportunistic microorganisms caused by infections, prolonged therapy is used, which lasts up to six weeks. Drug regimen depends on the phase of the disease and its activity.

Modest success

Recommendations and systems that establish the doses and methods of use of drugs, today there are many, but each specialist adheres to his scheme. Treatment begins, as a rule, with large doses of antibiotics or any other chemical drug or their combination. Next, take medication in basalt doses until the process is terminated.

Despite the fact that developed techniques for how to treat AIDS, and there are a huge number of drugs, the success of physicians is quite modest.

Antiretroviral therapy does not bring full recovery. There is only a suppression of the reproduction of the virus and the reduction of morphological signs of the disease, but it does not completely disappear.

Sometimes during treatment patients become victims of chemical overloads, dying not from infections, but from toxic poisoning with huge doses of drugs.

Adequate therapy is the timely diagnosis, creation of favorable psychological conditions, treatment of background and opportunistic diseases, as well as careful dispensary observation.

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a late manifestation of infection of the body by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS is not a disease, but a complex reaction of the body to a developing infection, it is impossible to get AIDS, only HIV infection. According to doctors at the University of Oxford, the development of the syndrome indicates an overly acute reaction to HIV: groups of people with a significant number of viral particles in the blood, who have not received antiretroviral therapy and who do not have AIDS symptoms are identified. The causes of AIDS, its development in HIV-infected people, therapies are still under study. Today there is scientifically confirmed information about the methods of infection, the stages of development of the syndrome and methods of prevention.

What is HIV?

The human immunodeficiency virus was isolated from the patient's lymphocytes in 1983 by a group of scientists led by Luc Montagnier. At the same time, a similar virus was obtained in the US laboratory. In 1987, the disease was called "HIV infection."

There are two serotypes of the virus: HIV-1 and HIV-2. The first type plays the most significant role in an infectious pandemic, including in Russia. HIV infection is a systemic disease of the body, provoking a gradual decline in the overall immunity of a person. With a decrease in immunity, the body can not resist the effects of numerous pathogenic microorganisms and fight the development of malignant tumors.

The main diseases that occur in the body of an infected person can also affect healthy people, however, as a rule, the dynamics of their development is much more restrained. Some diseases (so-called opportunistic) arise exclusively from immunodeficiency against the background of HIV infection, since normally they are hampered by immunity.

Why is HIV infection incurable?

The causative agent of HIV infection after penetration into the human body is not yet possible to destroy. Also not yet created, despite numerous studies and programs, an effective vaccine against HIV.

This phenomenon is associated with a high ability of the virus to genetic variation: the microorganism changes at the very moment when the immune system begins to produce antibodies. Moreover, if a virus infected with one strain has a secondary infection with a virus with an altered genotype, two strains “carry out” recombination, exchange of gene regions, which leads to the appearance of superinfection. The third reason for the resistance of the virus to the effects of drugs - the ability to "hide" in the intracellular space, turning into a latent form.

Causes of AIDS

It is only possible to get AIDS with HIV infection and the corresponding reaction of the body to the pathogen. Despite the strong belief that only a drug addict or a homosexual person can get AIDS, this has long ceased to correspond to the real situation. HIV infection no longer serves as a marker solely for drug use, the presence of promiscuous heterosexual and homosexual relationships: the prevalence of the virus is detected among various social strata of the population, age groups regardless of sexual preferences and pernicious tendencies.

According to the World Health Organization, about 80% of new HIV infections were found in Eastern Europe, 18% in Western European countries, 3% in Central Europe. Russia accounts for 81% of Eastern European countries and 64% of all cases reported in the European Region.

At the same time, the ways of infection differ on a territorial basis: in Europe, homosexual sex takes the first place (42%) with a slight outpacing of heterosexual sex (32%), infection among people dependent on drugs does not exceed 4%.

Russia today is the only country in the world where infection among drug addicts accounts for more than half of the common causes of the spread of HIV infection (51%). In second place is heterosexual contact (47%), and only 1.5% is infection among homosexuals.

It is worth noting that in Russia it is not accurate enough: according to experts, every 100th person in our country is carriers of HIV, that is, 1% of the population, not counting illegal migrants. Experts warn: in a country with so many infected people, where only every third person gets sick with free antiretroviral therapy, by 2021 a large-scale epidemic can begin.

Ways of transmission

In world statistics, HIV infection in the first place is sexual intercourse with an infected person, and for any type of sexual intercourse. If the carrier of the infection follows the rules of specific therapy, the probability of infection is 1%.

Traumatic sexual contacts, at which the formation of cracks on mucous surfaces is possible, as well as the presence of erosion, damage to the internal and external integuments of existing diseases increase the likelihood of penetration of the virus. In women, the virus is present in the blood, vaginal secretions, in men - in the blood and semen. Infection when blood particles or other biological fluid containing an infectious agent are injected into a healthy person's body also occurs during invasive procedures, most often associated with the use of reusable syringes without appropriate treatment. It is also likely that infection during medical and dental procedures, visits to nail salons, tattoo studios and other places where the instrument may intentionally or accidentally come into contact with the injured surface. Prior to the introduction of control of donor fluids (blood, plasma) and organs, there were cases of infection from donor to recipient.

Vertical infection is called mother-to-child transmission during gestation, during childbirth, or during breastfeeding.

Other ways of infection, not related to blood contact, vaginal secretions or seminal fluid, does not exist. The infection does not spread when using the same dishes, hygiene items, visiting pools, bathrooms and toilet rooms, is not transmitted through blood-sucking insects, etc. The human immunodeficiency virus is extremely unstable in the external environment and quickly dies outside the body.

Symptoms of AIDS (Acquired Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome)

The disease, AIDS syndrome develops as a late complication of HIV infection. Immediately after infection, during the incubation period (an average of 3 weeks - 3 months), no symptoms and manifestations are observed, although antibodies to the causative agent of the disease are already beginning to develop.
  The stage of primary manifestations, replacing the incubation period, may also be asymptomatic or appear as an acute HIV infection, which depends on the general health of the person and the state of his immune system.

The clinical picture of the manifestation of the disease is quite extensive. The first symptoms may include:

• feverish state;
• rash on the skin and mucous membranes;
• lymph node enlargement and / or tenderness;
• catarrhal manifestations, cough, rhinitis, pharyngitis;
• weight loss;
• persistent or recurrent diarrhea;
• enlarged liver and spleen in size.

Similar symptoms, including all of the above manifestations, are observed only in 15-30% of patients, in other cases 1-2 symptoms occur in different combinations.
  Next comes the latent asymptomatic stage, the duration of which ranges from 2-3 to 20 years (average 6-7 years). At this stage in the blood there is a significant decrease in the number of lymphocytes. The fall in the level of lymphocytes, indicating that severe immune deficiency has begun, can lead to a stage of secondary diseases. Among the most common are:

• sore throats;
• pneumonia;
• tuberculosis;
• herpes;
• fungal infections;
• intestinal infections;
• oncological diseases;
• infections caused by protozoa and others.

The next stage, terminal, is characterized by acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. At this stage of AIDS, severe symptoms lead to the destruction of vital systems of the body. This stage is lethal, despite active antiviral therapy.
  Modern drugs can extend the stage of infection and more effectively deal with opportunistic and common infections that lead to the death of patients.

AIDS and HIV - diagnostic methods

Photo: Room’s Studio / Shutterstock.com

The diagnosis is never made on the basis of the symptoms of AIDS or other stages of HIV infection. However, the disease can be suspected by the following diagnostic features:

• diarrhea resistant to treatment for 2 months or more;
• prolonged unmotivated fever;
• skin rash in different variations;
• development of Kaposi's sarcoma at a young age;
• weight loss of more than 10%, for no apparent reason.

Confirmation of the diagnosis is performed using two tests: a screening test (the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is most common) and a confirmatory test that evaluates the presence of the virus and the viral load.

Treatment and prevention of disease

The basis of therapy is the control of virus reproduction and the treatment of associated diseases. By following the appointments of specialists and taking modern drugs it is possible to curb the development of HIV infection.

Treatment should begin immediately after diagnosis. Russia has established centers for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection, in which drugs for HIV-infected people are prescribed and distributed. Additional treatment is aimed at combating cancer and opportunistic infections that occur as a result of reduced immunity and stimulation of the immune system.

Preventive measures consist in the observance of safety measures during sexual intercourse, medical and cosmetic procedures, regular blood tests for infection and compliance with the appointments of specialists.

Good day, dear readers!

In today's article, we will look at a serious disease like HIV infection, and everything connected with it - the causes, how it is transmitted, the incubation period, the first signs, symptoms, developmental stages, types, tests, tests, diagnosis, treatment , drugs, prevention and other useful information. So…

What does HIV mean?

HIV infection in children

HIV infection in children in many cases is accompanied by a delay in development (physical and psychomotor), frequent infectious diseases, pneumonitis, encephalopathy, hyperplasia of the pulmonary lymphatic catch, hemorrhagic syndrome. Moreover, HIV infection in children, which they have acquired from infected mothers, is characterized by a more rapid course and progression.

The main cause of HIV infection is human immunodeficiency virus infection. The cause of AIDS is also the same virus, because AIDS is the last stage in the development of HIV infection.

  - slowly developing virus belonging to the family of retroviruses (Retroviridae) and to the genus of lentiviruses (Lentivirus). The word “lente” in translation from Latin means “slow”, which partly characterizes this infection, which develops from the moment it enters the body to the last stage rather slowly.

The size of the human immunodeficiency virus is only about 100-120 nanometers, which is almost 60 times smaller than the diameter of the blood particle - the erythrocyte.

The complexity of HIV lies in its frequent genetic changes in the process of self-reproduction - almost every virus differs from its predecessor by at least 1 nucleotide.

In nature, as of 2017, 4 types of virus are known - HIV-1 (HIV-1), HIV-2 (HIV-2), HIV-3 (HIV-3) and HIV-4 (HIV-4), each of which has a different genome structure and other properties.

At the heart of the disease most HIV-infected people play the role of HIV-1 infection, therefore, when the subtype number is not indicated, the default is exactly 1.

The source of HIV is people infected with the virus.

The main routes of infection are: injections (especially injecting drugs), transfusions (blood, plasma, red blood cell mass) or organ transplantation, unprotected sexual contact with an unfamiliar person, unnatural sex (anal, oral), traumatizing during childbirth, infant feeding by breast milk (if the mother is infected), traumatizing during childbirth, the use of non-disinfected medical or cosmetic items (scalpel, needles, scissors, tattoo machines, dental and other instruments).

For HIV infection and its further spread throughout the body and development, it is necessary that infected blood, mucus, semen and other patient's biomaterials fall into the bloodstream or the human lymphatic system.

An interesting fact is that some people have an innate protection against the human immunodeficiency virus in their bodies, so they are resistant to HIV. The following elements have such protective properties - CCR5 protein, TRIM5a protein, CAML protein (calcium-modulated cyclophilin ligand), as well as interferon-induced transmembrane CD317 / BST-2 protein (“tetherin”).

By the way, the CD317 protein, in addition to retroviruses, also actively counteracts arenaviruses, filoviruses and herpes viruses. The cofactor of CD317 is the BCA2 cellular protein.

HIV risk groups

• Drug users, mostly injecting drug users;
• Sexual partners of drug addicts;
• Persons who are sexually promiscuous, as well as those who engage in unnatural sex;
• Prostitutes and their clients;
• Donors and people in need of blood transfusion or organ transplantation;
• People suffering from venereal diseases;
• Doctors.

The classification of HIV infection is as follows:

Classification by clinical manifestations (in the Russian Federation and some CIS countries):

1. Stage of incubation.

2. The stage of primary manifestations, which according to variants of the course can be:

• no clinical manifestations (asymptomatic);
• acute course without secondary diseases;
• acute course with secondary diseases;

3. Subclinical stage.

4. Stage of secondary diseases caused by the defeat of the body by viruses, bacteria, fungus and other types of infection, developing on the background of a weakened immunity. Downstream is subdivided into:

A) body weight is reduced by less than 10%, as well as frequently recurring infectious diseases of the skin and mucous membranes, pharyngitis, otitis media, shingles, angular cheilitis ();

B) body weight is reduced by more than 10%, as well as persistent and frequently repeated infectious diseases of the skin, mucous and internal organs - sinusitis, pharyngitis, shingles, fever or diarrhea (diarrhea) within a month, localized Kaposha's sarcoma;

B) body weight is significantly reduced (cachexia), as well as persistent generalized infectious diseases of the respiratory, digestive, nervous and other systems - candidiasis (trachea, bronchi, lungs, esophagus), Pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, herpes, encephalopathy, meningitis, cancer tumors (disseminated Kaposi's sarcoma).

All variants of the 4th stage have the following phases:

• progression of pathology in the absence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART);
• the progression of pathology on the background of HAART;
• remission with or after HAART.

5. The terminal stage (AIDS).

The above classification largely coincides with the classification approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Classification by clinical manifestations (CDC - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):

The CDC classification includes not only the clinical manifestations of the disease, but also an indicator of the number of CD4 + T-lymphocytes in 1 μl of blood. The basis is the division of HIV infection in just 2 categories: the disease itself and AIDS. If the following parameters meet the criteria A3, B3, C1, C2 and C3, the patient is considered as a patient with AIDS.

Symptoms depending on the category of CDC:

A (acute retroviral syndrome) - is characterized by an asymptomatic course or generalized lymphadenopathy (GLAP).

B (AIDS-associated complex syndromes) - may be accompanied by oral candidiasis, herpes zoster, cervical dysplasia, peripheral neuropathy, organic lesion, idiopathic thrombocytopenia, leukoplakia or listeriosis.

C (aids) - may be accompanied by a candida. Kaposi, lymphoma, salmonella and other diseases.

HIV diagnosis

Diagnosis of HIV infection includes the following methods of examination:

• Anamnesis;
• Visual examination of the patient;
• Screening test (detection of blood antibodies to infection by enzyme immunoassay - ELISA);
• Confirming the presence of antibodies in the blood test (blood test by immune blotting (blot)), which is carried out only with a positive result of the screening test;
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR);
• Analyzes on the immune status (counting of CD4 + lymphocytes - performed using automatic analyzers (flow cytometry method) or manually using microscopes);
• Viral load analysis (counting the number of copies of HIV RNA per milliliter of blood plasma);
• Rapid HIV tests - diagnosis is performed using ELISA on test strips, agglutination reaction, immunochromatography or immunological filtration analysis.

It is not enough to test the diagnosis of AIDS. Confirmation occurs only with the additional presence of 2 or more opportunistic diseases associated with this syndrome.

HIV infection - treatment

Treatment of HIV infection is possible only after a thorough diagnosis. However, unfortunately, as of 2017, officially, adequate therapy and medications that would completely eliminate the human immunodeficiency virus and cure the patient have not been established.

The only modern method of treating HIV infection today is highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which is aimed at slowing the progression of the disease and stopping its transition from the AIDS stage. Thanks to HAART, a person’s life can last for several decades, the only condition is a lifelong intake of appropriate drugs.

The cunning of the human immunodeficiency virus is also its mutation. So, if drugs against HIV do not change after some time, which is determined on the basis of constant monitoring of the disease, the virus adapts and the prescribed treatment regimen becomes ineffective. Therefore, with different frequency, the doctor changes the treatment regimen, and with it the medication. The reason for the change of the drug can also serve as its individual intolerance to the patient.

Modern drug development is aimed not only at achieving the goal of effectiveness against HIV, but also at reducing side effects from them.

The effectiveness of treatment also increases with changes in a person’s lifestyle, improving its quality - healthy sleep, proper nutrition, avoidance of stress, an active lifestyle, positive emotions, etc.

Thus, the following points in the treatment of HIV infection can be distinguished:

• Drug treatment of HIV infection;
• Diet;
• Preventive actions.

Important!   Before using medications, be sure to consult your doctor for advice!

1. Drug treatment of HIV infection

In the beginning, you need to immediately remind once again that AIDS is the last stage in the development of HIV infection, and it is at this stage that a person usually has very little time to live. Therefore, it is very important to prevent the development of AIDS, and this largely depends on timely diagnosis and adequate treatment of HIV infection. We also noted that the only method of treating HIV today is considered to be highly active antiretroviral therapy, which, according to statistics, reduces the risk of developing AIDS to almost 1-2%.

Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART)  - method of treating HIV infection, based on the simultaneous use of three or four drugs (tritherapy). The amount of drugs is associated with the mutagenicity of the virus, and in order to bind it at this stage for as long as possible, the doctor selects exactly the drug complex. Each of the drugs, depending on the principle of action, is included in a separate group - reverse transcriptase inhibitors (nucleoside and non-nucleoside), integrase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, receptor inhibitors and fusion inhibitors (fusion inhibitors).

HAART has the following objectives:

• Virological - aimed at stopping the reproduction and spread of HIV, an indicator of which is a decrease in viral load of 10 or more times in just 30 days, up to 20-50 copies / ml and less than 16-24 weeks, as well as the retention of these indicators as long as possible;
• Immunological - aimed at restoring the normal functioning and health of the immune system, due to the restoration of the number of CD4 lymphocytes and an adequate immune response to the infection;
• Clinical - aimed at preventing the formation of secondary infectious diseases and AIDS, it gives the opportunity to conceive a child.

HIV Medicines

Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors  - The mechanism of action is based on the competitive suppression of the HIV enzyme, which provides for the creation of DNA, which is based on the virus RNA. It is the first group of anti-retrovirus drugs. Migrated well enough. Among the side effects can be identified -, lactic acidosis, bone marrow suppression, polyneuropathy and lipoatrophy. The substance is excreted through the kidneys.

Among the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, abacavir (Ziagen), zidovudine (Azidothymidine, Zidovirin, Retrovir, Timazid), lamivudine (Virolam, Heptavir-150, Lamivudin-3TC "," Epivir "), stavudin (" Aktastav "," Zerit "," Stavudin "), tenofovir (" Viread "," Tenvir "), phosphazide (" Nikavir "), emtricitabine (" Emtriva "), as well as complexes abacavir + lamivudine ("Kiveksa", "Epzikom"), zidovudine + lamivudine ("Combivir"), tenofovir + emtricitabine (Truvada) and zidovudine + lamivudine + abacavir ("Trizivir").

Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors  - delavirdine (“Rescriptor”), nevirapine (“Viramun”), rilpivirin (“Edurant”), efavirenz (“Regast”, “Sustiva”), etravirine (“Intelens”).

Integrase inhibitors  - the mechanism of action is based on blocking the virus enzyme, which is involved in the integration of viral DNA into the genome of the target cell, after which a provirus is formed.

Among integrase inhibitors, we can distinguish Dolutegravir (“Tivikai”), raltegravir (“Isentress”), Elvitegravir (“Vittekta”).

Protease inhibitors  - the mechanism of action is based on blocking the virus protease enzyme (retropepsin), which is directly involved in the breakdown of Gag-Pol polyproteins into individual proteins, after which the mature proteins of the human immunodeficiency virus virion are formed.

Among protease inhibitors, amprenavir (“Agenerase”), darunavir (“Prezista”), indinavir (“Crixivan”), nelfinavir (“Viracept”), ritonavir (“Norvir”, “Ritonavir”), saquinavir-INV (“ Invirase "), tipranavir (" Aptivus "), fosamprenavir (" Lexiva "," Telzir "), as well as the combined tool lopinavir + ritonavir (" Kaletra ").

Receptor inhibitors  - the mechanism of action is based on blocking the entry of HIV into the target cell, which is due to the effect of the substance on the CXCR4 and CCR5 co-receptors.

Among the inhibitors of receptors can be distinguished - maraviroc ("Celsentri").

Fusion inhibitors (fusion inhibitors)  - the mechanism of action is based on blocking the last stage in introducing the virus into the target cell.

Among the fusion inhibitors can be identified - enfuvirtide ("Fuzeon").

The use of HAART during pregnancy lowers the risk of transmission from an infected mother to a child by up to 1%, although without this therapy, the percentage of infecting a child is about 20%.

Among the side effects of using HAART drugs are pancreatitis, anemia, skin rashes, kidney stones, peripheral neuropathy, lactic acidosis, hyperlipidemia, lipodystrophy, as well as Fanconi syndrome, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and others.

Diet for HIV infection is aimed at preventing the patient from losing weight, as well as providing the body's cells with the necessary energy and of course, stimulating and maintaining normal functioning of not only the immune, but also other systems.

It is also necessary to pay attention to a certain vulnerability of immunity weakened by infection, therefore, to keep yourself from infection with other types of infection - be sure to follow the rules of personal hygiene and the rules of cooking dishes.

Nutrition for HIV / AIDS should:

2. To be high-calorie, which is why it is recommended to add butter, mayonnaise, cheese, sour cream to food.

3. To include abundant drinking, it is especially useful to drink decoctions and freshly squeezed juices with a large amount of vitamin C, which stimulates the immune system - decoction, juices (apple, grape, cherry).

4. To be frequent, 5-6 times a day, but in small portions.

5. Water for drinking and cooking should be purified. Avoid consumption of expired products, undercooked meat, raw eggs, and non-pasteurized milk.

What can you eat with HIV infection:

• Soups - vegetable, on grains, with pasta, in meat broth, with the addition of butter;
• Meat - beef, turkey, chicken, lungs, liver, low-fat fish (preferably marine);
• Groats - buckwheat, pearl-barley, rice, millet and oat;
• Kashi - with the addition of dried fruit, honey, jam;
  , and zinc, therefore, they need to make special attention when eating food. In addition, we once again want to remind you that stimulates the immune system, which is very important in the fight against infection.

What not to eat with HIV

With human immunodeficiency virus, it is necessary to completely abandon alcoholic beverages, smoking, weight loss diets, products with high allergenicity, sugary carbonated drinks.

3. Preventive measures

Preventive measures for HIV infection that must be followed during treatment include:

• Avoid repeated contact with the infection;
• Healthy sleep;
• Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene;
• Avoiding the possibility of infection by other types of infection - and others;
• Avoiding stress;
• Timely wet cleaning in the place of residence;
• Refusal of a long stay in the sun;
• Complete refusal of alcoholic beverages, smoking;
• Full nutrition;
• Active lifestyle;
• Rest on the sea, in the mountains, i.e. in the most environmentally friendly places.

Additional measures of HIV prevention, we consider at the end of the article.

Important!   Before using folk remedies against HIV infection, be sure to consult with your doctor!

Hypericum  Pour well-dried, chopped grass into an enameled saucepan and cover it with 1 liter of soft purified water, then put the container on fire. After boiling the medium, boil the medium for 1 hour over low heat, then remove, cool, strain and pour the broth into the jar. Add 50 g of sea buckthorn oil to the broth, mix thoroughly and set aside in a cold place to infuse for 2 days. It is necessary to accept means on 50 g 3-4 times a day.

Licorice.  Pour 50 g of crushed into an enameled pan, pour it with 1 l of purified water and put it on the stove, on a large fire. Bringing to a boil, reduce the heat to minimum and protome means for about 1 more hour. After remove the broth from the stove, cool it, strain, pour into a glass container, add here the same 3 tbsp. spoons of natural, mix. It is necessary to drink broth on 1 glass in the morning, on an empty stomach.

For those at risk, it is important to know whether HIV is being treated. Of course, such an infection is not considered fatal, but, nevertheless, it gives the patient a lot of trouble. Moreover, AIDS often develops against the background of HIV, which only aggravates the state of general human health.

The number of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is increasing every year, but the number of recovered, unfortunately, does not increase. If now you do not start the fight against such a dangerous disease, in 2-3 decades it may become an epidemic. Is it possible to cure HIV infection or is it impossible?

With this disease, the virus suppresses its own immunity, destroys leukocytes in the blood - cells that recognize any infection and participate in the fight against it. Losing the natural volume of such blood cells, the body can no longer independently fight even the most primitive viruses, fungi, bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms. If earlier, before infection, the human body easily defeated a cold, then during the development of HIV, such a disease can be fatal.

Whether the immunodeficiency virus is treated in its early stages (HIV) is determined by both the infected people themselves and many researchers. It can be answered in two ways: both no and yes. First of all, patients are given a blood test taken from a vein for the presence of antibodies to the HIV1 and HIV2 antigens. If the diagnosis is confirmed, appropriate therapy is prescribed.

Treatment of infection is the adoption by people of measures that promote the recovery of the body during the development of a specific disease (in our case, HIV infection). The cure of the disease - is a complete deliverance from the pathology. Given two such terms, it is possible to say with accuracy: HIV is treated. Infection is treated with strong drugs (antiretrovirals) that can suppress the activity of the pathogen.

What is HIV: it is like a chronic disease that will accompany a person throughout his life. Of course, to date, various studies are being conducted that are aimed at finding ways to stop the global epidemic, but now the disease is still incurable. An AIDS patient, as well as HIV, cannot be cured, unfortunately, completely. It is possible for a person to have only maintenance therapy, which will help smooth out the clinical manifestations.

Since HIV is treated well only at the initial stage of its development, it is necessary to be attentive to one’s health and to see a doctor when the first warning symptoms appear. The first signs and symptoms of AIDS and HIV infection are mostly similar:

1. Increased overall temperature, indicators of which reach 38 degrees for several days.
2. General malaise, which can be both short-term and long-term.
3. Lymphadenitis - an increase in the size of the lymph nodes. This symptom of the disease - the main, which is taken into account in the diagnosis.

This disease (HIV) may begin to develop at all without any manifestations, which is characteristic of the initial stage. Nevertheless, there is a slow attack on the immune system, which can later cause dangerous consequences (in our case, the development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

1. The incubation stage is the time from the moment the virus enters the body until the onset of the first symptoms and (or) antigens in the blood to the virus cells. HIV at an early stage lasts from 3 weeks to 3 months, and sometimes lasts up to 12 months. It is important to identify the disease at this stage, because the prognosis in this case is the most favorable. In the case of a positive analysis, the person needs to contact the AIDS center and start the appropriate therapy.
2. The second stage is divided into 2a, 2b and 2c. The first of these (2a) is considered asymptomatic. The second (2b) proceeds with pronounced symptoms: febrile syndrome, a rash on the dermis and mucous membranes, lymphadenitis, pharyngitis, etc. The third (2c) is characterized by the addition of secondary diseases: angina, bacterial and pneumocystis pneumonia, candidiasis, herpes, etc.
3. The third stage is called "latent" and proceeds with a slow progression of immunodeficiency. The only symptom is lymphadenitis, which covers 2 or more nodes in the lesion in different groups (except inguinal). The duration of this period is from 2–20 years or more, and being completely asymptomatic.
4. The fourth stage is characterized by the addition of secondary pathologies. The healing and transition of the disease to the latent current at this stage is no longer possible. It can be both secondary infectious and oncological diseases with the corresponding symptoms.
5. At the fifth (terminal) stage, secondary pathologies have an irreversible course, and antiviral drugs are already ineffective. Death occurs in 2-3 months.

In any case, each organism is individual and reacts differently to the development of a viral infection. Even if the blood test confirmed the presence of antibodies in the body, and there are no pronounced symptoms, do not despair, because, perhaps, such a result is a false positive. This can occur for many reasons: if an acute respiratory infection, allergy or other develops at the time of blood donation. A doctor can make a wrong diagnosis, which can be confirmed or refuted only with the help of a repeated test.

Ways of HIV Transmission

  There are many ways of transmitting HIV infection, the main of which are considered:

1. Sexual intercourse with an infected person without using contraceptive methods.
2. Taking blood or injection with a syringe that was previously used by an infected person.
3. Immunodeficiency, that is, HIV infection, can be transmitted from a sick mother to a child during childbirth, breastfeeding (initial symptoms after infection with the virus can occur many years later).

Other ways of transmission are rare. These include the transfusion of contaminated blood to a healthy person who was not tested for HIV infection before use. More rarely, transfer of the infected material to open wounds or mucous membranes occurs. Domestic way the disease is not transmitted.

The risk of transmission is reduced for people who have sex with patients who are receiving antiretroviral treatment.

To avoid dangerous consequences, after unprotected sexual intercourse, it is worthwhile to diagnose blood with an ELISA method if there is a suspicion of HIV infection in a partner. It is better to detect HIV in its early stages than to deal with its negative consequences.

HIV can be cured: myth or reality

Scientists around the world are fighting in the hope that once a virus can be cured forever, but these are just assumptions. What methods really work, while it is impossible to say. Some try to cure the disease with folk remedies, but they are completely ineffective. The most common way to suppress the activity of a virus is only special drugs that are prescribed to infected people by a doctor.

In the 1990s, when antiretroviral therapy was invented, researchers suggested that HIV could still be cured. To date, there are many denials to this, because a viral infection, like AIDS, is not treated. Even the timely start of therapy does not guarantee that you can completely cure the disease and get rid of the terrible diagnosis.

Leading researchers carried out appropriate analyzes, with the help of which they wanted to find out why the virus continues to be present in the body and does not respond to any therapy. And so, in 1996, there were suggestions that a cure for AIDS and HIV is possible. To this end, began to develop even stronger drugs. It was believed that someday the virus cells would end up in the body, completely die or become sensitive to drugs with antiviral effects. According to mathematical models of researchers, this will take more than 60 years.

Every person's body reacts differently to these drugs. Some people treat HIV infection and see a positive trend, while for others it does not bring positive results and soon there is a fatal outcome.

HIV treatment

Is it possible to cure HIV (the first type and the second) or not, the question is relative. For many years, they have been using only the therapy aimed at improving the quality of life of the patient, preventing and slowing the progression of the disease. The newest antiviral treatment is presented in the form of drugs that can lengthen the life expectancy of a person (for example, it can be Loverid and Businessldeen). Also prescribed means to help prevent the blocking of healthy cells with a virus (for example, indinavir and others), and reduce the viability of the pathogen (for example, Epevir, Zerit, etc.). Timely and complete therapy is based on the fact that the patient can live to a ripe old age.

An additional treatment for AIDS and HIV is to use:

During the use of each method of treating a disease, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules, following which you can improve the effectiveness of therapy:

1. Continuous treatment.
2. If possible, start using drugs as early as possible, at the initial stage of the disease.
3. The complex uses several drugs with antiretroviral effects.

How to cure HIV if after passing the course of therapy there are unsatisfactory results? In this case, carry out the correction of chemotherapy.

HIV prevention

Of course, it is easier to prevent the disease than to get rid of it, because even in the early stages it is impossible to completely cure HIV, including by using the powerful antiretroviral therapy. By following these simple recommendations, you can significantly reduce the risk of infection:

1. It is recommended to have sex with a regular partner, avoiding casual relationships. It is necessary to protect themselves using contraceptives - condoms.
2. Drugs - exclude from life. Under their influence, a person often loses control, including for the use of one syringe with other drug addicts. After contact with someone else's infected blood, there is a 100% guarantee that a person will become infected with the immunodeficiency virus.
3. Prevention of acquired HIV in a child is more concerned with his mother, who during pregnancy should follow all the recommendations of the leading doctor. Breastfeeding in this case is not carried out.

AIDS prevention

The answer to the question: can AIDS be cured, the same as for HIV infection. Both pathologies are considered incurable, and there is no specific cure for them. AIDS prevention comes down to the following:

1. The ban on the conduct of promiscuous sex life.
2. Condom use during intercourse.
3. Personal hygiene: a toothbrush, injection syringes, a razor must be strictly individual.
4. Bad habits must be eliminated, especially drugs.
5. Dental and surgical instruments should be suitably handled before use.

AIDS on the background of HIV is an even more dangerous disease, which in a small amount of time leads to death.

HIV Healing

Despite the fact that a complete cure for HIV is not possible, there are examples that suggest otherwise. The first case is a Berlin patient who became infected with pathology when he was 30 years old. For 10 years he was treated with special drugs, after which he was given another diagnosis - acute leukemia. Traditional medicine did not bring the desired recovery, which was the reason for the bone marrow transplant. Only 2 surgeries were needed in order that a cured person could live for many years without relapses.

Other cases of deliverance from an infectious disease were reported in Africa: the children were infected from a mother who did not receive the necessary treatment. For 30 days, the kids took medicines, and already after this period, there was a noticeable decrease in the activity of the virus.

Immunity of each person is individual and no one knows what will be the reaction and sensitivity to the antiviral drugs taken. If a person is not treated at all, his average life expectancy does not exceed 11 years. In most cases, the cause of death is associated secondary diseases (it may be tuberculosis, cancer, pneumonia, etc.). In the case of early treatment of AIDS and HIV, one can hope for a rather favorable prognosis. The average life expectancy in this case is up to 70 years.

December 1 - World AIDS Day. In the mid-1980s, this diagnosis was a sentence, and today the life of HIV-infected people is practically no different from the life of healthy people; we will tell you about the price of such success.

Humanity learned about HIV in 1981. At first it was a mysterious illness that killed its victims over several years, but gradually scientists began to understand the nature of the disease and create medicines that prevent the virus from multiplying and infecting new cells.

Small and cunning

The genome of one of the main enemies of mankind consists of only nine genes, which does not prevent the virus from effectively infecting cells and multiplying. 10 billion new viral particles form in the blood of an HIV-infected person per day, and many of them are not similar to their “parents” due to the variability of the virus.

The virus enters the body through biological fluids  - blood, semen and even breast milk. The particles infect the cells of the immune system, carrying on their surface special receptors to which the virus attaches, before it penetrates inside. Cells without these HIV receptors are uninteresting.

What is aids

Once inside the cell, the virus immediately “digs in”, that is, it embeds its genetic material into the cellular DNA. After that, all descendants of the infected cell will contain instructions for assembling viral particles. This tricky trick great complicates the lives of scientists and doctors who are looking for a cure for HIV. Even if you destroy all viral particles in the body, after some time they will be reborn from healthy-looking cells that carry viral genes. Over time, the virus finally destroys the immune system, and HIV-infected patients die from diseases with which the organism of healthy people copes lightly. A condition in which an HIV-positive person manifests all sorts of infections is called AIDS..

Hypothesis "Patient Zero"    It is believed that the human immunodeficiency virus appeared in Africa, mutated from a monkey variety of the disease. Locals often eat chimpanzees and other primates, in addition, viral particles could get into the blood of people through bites. However, the first AIDS patients were described in the United States, where the virus quickly spread throughout the world. To understand how HIV moved across the ocean, scientists made a map of contacts of sick people. It turned out that most of them are homosexuals, and, having traced the history of their connections, the experts went to a man named Gaetan Dugas - in a scientific publication in 1984, where the origin of the virus was explained, he appeared as a “patient zero”. Dugas was gay, worked as a steward and was very loving: according to his own estimates, he had about 2,500 sexual relationships in his entire life. Most likely, the young man became infected with HIV from one of his lovers in Africa, where he was often, and then passed the virus to partners from the United States. "Patient Zero" died at the age of 31 from kidney damage, which developed amid immunosuppression. At the dawn of the HIV epidemic, many believed that the source of the disease was homosexual men. The story of Dugas strengthened this belief, but it soon became clear that anyone could become infected with a virus, regardless of sexual orientation.    Not all experts believe in the hypothesis that a terrible disease has spread one person around the planet, but none of the alternative versions also have absolutely reliable evidence.

Do not allow to multiply

Scientists were able to "catch" the human immunodeficiency virus in 1983 - at once two research groups isolated viral particles from patients' blood samples. In 1985, the first test was created, which allowed to determine whether a person is infected with HIV. But there was still no cure for the terrible disease. By 1987, the number of HIV-infected people worldwide reached, according to various estimates, from 100 to 150 thousand people. The authorities were silent for a long time about the beginning of a new epidemic, but it was impossible to further hide the scale of the disaster. Six years after the death of the first patients, American President Ronald Reagan spoke for the first time the words HIV and AIDS in a public speech. And in the same year the first medicine appeared.

First medicine

The zidovudine drug molecule is very similar to one of the four building blocks that are necessary for the construction of DNA. The virus synthesizes DNA molecules to integrate them into the host cell's genome, and when zidovudine comes in instead of the correct “brick”, the chain is broken. Unfinished genes of the virus cannot integrate into the cellular genome, which means that the virus will not multiply in this cell. An enzyme that synthesizes viral DNA is called reverse transcriptase. Both zidovudine and similar drugs belong to its inhibitors, that is, substances that block the work of the enzyme.

But the joy of scientists and patients did not last long - it quickly became clear that, although zidovudine works, the prognosis for patients still remains disappointing. In addition, the drug had seriousside effects, especially since at first the medicine was used in very high doses.

Combination therapy

In 1992, a second anti-HIV drug appeared - zalcitabine, which could be used instead of zidovudine or with it. Despite the fact that both drugs act similarly, their combination gave a much better effect than the use of each medicine separately. Today, all HIV treatment protocols necessarily include several substances, this approach is called combination therapy. Different drugs block several processes necessary for the reproduction of the virus, and in the end, it is often possible for years to keep HIV in a "dormant" state.

Be careful children

The story of the fight against HIV would be less dramatic if it only concerned adults. But the insidious virus is very well transmitted to children - on average, every third infant born to an HIV-positive mother is infected. In children's bodies, the virus is often much more active, and without adequate treatment, the babies die within a few years.

Length is important

   The next breakthrough came in 1996, when researchers learned to "turn off" another viral enzyme - protease. HIV synthesizes part of its proteins in duplicates, and only then cuts a long chain into pieces, and protease is responsible for this process. In combination with the already created drugs, the new drugs worked so well that someoptimists talk about winning over HIV. But it soon became clear that it was too early to relax, and the virus that disappeared seems to make itself felt again, reborn from infected cells.

Healthy generation

At the end of 1996, during clinical trials, doctors found that zidovudine reduces the likelihood of transmission during delivery to terrific 3–4 percent. Since then, even if the mother learns about her diagnosis in late pregnancy, the child has all the chances to be born healthy. Moreover, in 2013, doctors managed to completely cure a girl born with HIV infection. Doctors started therapy when the baby was 30 hours old, and it seems that such an early intervention did not allow the virus to “fix” in the body.

One tablet

Every year, scientists are creating new drugs to treat HIV. In addition to zidovudine analogues and various protease inhibitors, drugs appeared that prevent viral particles from attaching to CD4-receptors, and substances that tightly block reverse transcriptase. Often, patients have to take almost a dozen pills a day, each in strictly defined hours, including at night.

And in 2011, the drug first appeared on the market, thanks to which people with HIV infection may not think about it day and night. One tablet of the drug with the trade name Complera  contains three different reverse transcriptase inhibitors. In order not to allow the virus to multiply, patients need to take medicine only once a day, but always at the same time. A year later, another combination drug appeared with other active ingredients, so that doctors will soon be able to prescribe a relaxed treatment to an increasing number of patients.

Every year the number of people infected with HIV falls. In parallel, the life expectancy of patients is increasing and mortality is decreasing. It seems that doctors and researchers have managed to find justice for the plague of the 21st century. The final victory can be discussed after immunodeficiency virus vaccine, but with this there are difficulties. But even if there is no vaccine, very soon HIV-positive people will remember their illness only by reading the medical card.

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