What are the Different Stages of HIV Infection?

Posted by Gandhi Medicos on August 31st, 2022

Learn how the virus progresses in the bloodstream and what actions should be taken.

Medical awareness is of paramount importance. It can help maintain good health and even save lives in the nick of time. Therefore, it should be every person’s primary concern to keep themselves debriefed about basic definitions and progressive stages of at least the most prominent and common diseases. In this article, we shall discuss the different stages of an HIV infection. But first, let us understand what one means by the term itself.

HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the cells in the body, which helps it fight other infections, leading to weakened and poor immunity, something which can eventually be fatal if left untreated. Usually transmitted through bodily fluids such as seminal fluid, vaginal fluid, or infected blood, HIV is untreatable, but its progression can be slowed with the help of medication. 

There are four main stages in the development of HIV infection when no treatment is administered. These have been listed below:

1. Infection (Stage One): As soon as the virus enters the body, through any bodily fluid contamination, it starts replicating rapidly. An infected person may develop a fever or exhibit flu-like symptoms, which indicate the initial attack of the virus. The body tries to develop antibodies against the virus at this stage.
2. Asymptomatic (Stage Two): This stage, which begins as soon as the person recovers from stage one, is more of a dormant stage, where the virus shows no outward signs of manifestation but continues to multiplicate in the bloodstream, quietly weakening the immune system and increasing in number. This stage usually lasts anywhere from eight to ten years. 
3. Symptomatic (Stage Three): As the infection progresses, it further weakens the immune system until a stage arrives when the symptoms start showing up. They start as mild symptoms, such as headaches, chills, or fever, but they considerably worsen with time and can progress into mouth ulcers, severe diarrhea, intense fatigue, and so on. Often termed as opportunistic reactions, for they usually prey on weak immunity. These include PCP, TB, and other infections.
4. AIDS (Stage Four): The final and most fatal stage in HIV infection is the development of AIDS or Auto Immunodeficiency Syndrome. The symptoms of this stage are an extreme version of stage three. A person suffers rapid weight loss, exhaustion, pneumonia, memory loss, depression, and various other grave symptoms. If left untreated, AIDS will eventually be fatal.

This was the summary of the stages an HIV-infected person can expect to go through, but it is not a mandatory course of development. If treated initially, or even at one of the later stages, the progress of the infection can be considerably hindered, and the infected person can live a healthier and longer life.

Several important medications are available in the market for treating HIV/AIDS. Some of them are:

1. Viropil tablets: A combination of antiretroviral medicines, this medication boosts the body’s immunity and helps it fight the infection.
2. Dolutegravir 50 mg: This medication hinders the virus cells from multiplying in the bloodstream.
3. Lamivudine 300 mg: Another antiretroviral medicine, this tablet lowers the level of HIV in the body.
4. Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate 300 mg: This tablet is usually paired with other medicines and helps control the symptoms of HIV infection.
5. Disoproxil Fumarate 300 mg: Same as above, this tablet is also paired with other medication and helps lower HIV levels in the bloodstream.

Though an HIV infection might sound like the end of the world, it is very much not the case. Many affected people today live good and productive lives, thanks to medical progress and research. Nothing is impossible if one is aware and takes the necessary steps.

Read more: Shedding Light on the HIV-AIDS Myths