The world devotes all December 1 to the fight against Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a disease that still carries great social stigma and whose characteristics, surprisingly, are unknown to many.
Today, in Western countries, we are losing fear of this disease because, although we live it every day, it has become chronic thanks to specific medicines and treatments.
- Unfortunately.
- This only happens in some parts of the world.
- Because there are so many others who do not have the same chances and.
- As a result.
- Thousands of people die each year from a disease for which there is no cure.
- But a palliative treatment.
To clarify the terms, the cause of AIDS is associated with a type of retrovirus called human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with regard to this virus it should be noted that a problem to be addressed is the fact that it occurs in various mutant forms. , which is why the development of a vaccine that destroys it today is impossible.
But what does HIV do in our bodies when it starts working?When HIV is activated, AIDS or even depression of our immune system begins. People with AIDS have reduced the number of cells called collaborating T cells and the number of suppressive T cells has decreased. increased in their bodies (in healthy people, the proportion is reversed).
Symptoms are complex because they are the result of a combination of different manifestations, including persistent fever or night sweating, severe fatigue, weight loss and prolonged diarrhea over several days.
Similarly, the gradual deterioration of immune function in AIDS patients is manifested by the onset of neoplasms, infections such as pneumonia or tuberculosis or a set of these diseases.
However, knowing that we may have the HIV virus and not have developed AIDS, in this case it is not yet known whether the development of the disorder is inevitable or, on the contrary, will depend on external factors that act as mechanisms that activate the disease. Disease.
For this reason, people infected with the virus are advised to adopt behaviors and lifestyles that facilitate their immunocompetence, as stressful situations and moments can increase the onset of the disease.
It is now unknown which psychological variables directly influence the reactivation of the disease, however, it is known that diseases such as cancer or infectious diseases can contribute to this.
In addition, psychosocial stressors such as separation, death of a family member or loved one, and the development of negative emotional variables such as depression can contribute to the development of a person’s disease infected with the virus.
Indeed, negative psychological factors promote immunosuppression and, therefore, the reduction of the protective biological quality of our body, let’s say that HIV has an improved reproductive capacity when corticosteroid hormones (such as cortisol) are present in our body, which increase their secretion in stressful situations.
However, they have managed to make CHRONIC AIDS with a number of treatments, which are more available in the so-called ‘first world’.
FACT: HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is not transmitted through the bite of a mosquito or other insects. The insect cannot become infected with HIV and therefore cannot transmit it.
REALITY: HIV is not transmitted through daily contact in the social environment or at work, these occasional contacts cannot infect us, HIV is transmitted through:
* The risk of contagion increases if there are wounds, cuts or ulcers and contact is made.
FACT: As we have seen, this is not true and contagion is established in the situations we have already mentioned, of the total cases of contagion 90% are the result of unprotected sexual contact, and more precisely, between 60 and 70% of cases of contagion. cases of contagion are heterosexual, so homosexual contact corresponds to 30 to 40% of cases.
FACT: A big NO. An HIV-positive person can transmit the virus to others and look perfectly healthy. The only way to know if a person is infected with the virus is through a highly reliable blood test.
FACT: Antiretroviral therapy does not prevent the infected person from transmitting the virus, even if their viral load is very low, which helps maintain a good quality of life.
FACT: Sweat is NOT a route of TRANSMISSION of HIV because the concentration of the virus is minimal and, in addition, the gateway must have access to the bloodstream of the healthy person.
Combating the stigma and criminalization of AIDS is something that helps not only society and the world, but also ourselves. To contribute to this, we can start by sharing this information, spreading truths and demystifying myths. Don’t turn your back on AIDS, fight discrimination.