If a person has HIV, it is essential to get a better understanding regarding the impact the virus has not only on the health status and condition but on the life-expectancy as well. The primary purpose of the paper is to address an urgent issue, namely the differences and similarities in the prognosis between HIV and AIDS.
Factors that Affect the Prognosis of Patients with HIV and AIDS
It is worth stating that several factors influence the life expectancy of people with HIV, among them are the following ones, namely:
- Immune system;
- The amount of the virus in the patient’s blood;
- Age of a person with HIV;
- Serious diseases before the treatment;
- Drugs addition.
HIV treatment will not cure the patient; however, it should be stressed that it will significantly increase the chances of the person to live longer as the level of the virus reproduction will be decreased. It will improve the immune system.
According to recent researchers, it takes about ten years for HIV to transform to AIDS without appropriate treatment (Mostafa, 2015). Nevertheless, patients who have a higher level of the virus in the blood are at threat as AIDS will probably develop earlier. The modern findings suggest that in such cases, the virus will transform into AIDS within five years. People with AIDS have bigger chances of death; however, the time varies from patient to patient. The health care providers faced several cases when people with AIDS died very soon after the diagnosis was set, however, sometimes people can live up to ten years having AIDS.
Due to the inventions, progress, advance, and improvement made in the scientific sphere, people with HIV have almost similar life-expectancy to those who do not, especially those, who start treatment as soon as possible. It should be pointed out that the infected person should start the treatment before the immune system is destroyed as it impressively affects the survival rate. Potent antiretroviral therapy positively affects the process of treatment and has already decreased the statistics of death because of AIDS not only in the United States but in other countries as well (Mostafa, 2015). It seems essential to note that the level of the death of people with AIDS in developing countries remains high because of the financial aspect and lack of professionals.
The difference between HIV and AIDS
Although HIV and AIDS are different diagnoses, not everyone realizes the difference. It seems essential to note that HIV is considered to be a virus that in some years can transform into AIDS. Hearing the diagnosis of HIV or AIDS used to be similar to the death sentence, however, nowadays, due to innovations in science, technology, and medicine the patient lives a long life.
HIV is a virus that affects the immune system and makes it less effective. The fundamental reason that makes this virus difficult to treat is that the human immune system cannot attack the virus. Unfortunately, there is no explanation yet regarding the question of why society is unable to compete with the virus; however, medications are useful in the disease controlling.
AIDS is not a virus it is a condition (Gallant, 2009). Causing crucial damage to the immune system, HIV transforms into the syndrome. The patient’s immune system is unable to attack any viruses, and that is, becomes vulnerable.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be noted that modern technologies and progress made in the sphere of medicine influence the prognosis of HIV and AIDS. Nowadays, people facing HIV have all the chances to live a long life and never have AIDS.
References
Gallant, J. (2009). 100 questions & answers about HIV and AIDS. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Mostafa, R. (2015). Advances in HIV/AIDS research. New York, NY: Hayle Medical.