HIV Infection

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is an infection by one of 2 types of virus that progressively damage the white blood cells called lymphocytes, causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) and other diseases as a result of immune disorders. In the early 1980s researchers in America found 2 disease who experienced a sharp increase among gay men. The disease is Kaposi's sarcoma (a rare form of cancer) and pneumonia pneumokista (a type of pneumonia that only occurs in people with immune system disorders).
The failure of the immune system found in drug abusers, hemophiliacs, recipients of blood transfusions and bisexual men. But some time kemusia this syndrome also began attacking non-drug abusers, not people with hemofili. AIDS has become epidemic in the United States with more than 500,000 people infected and 300,000 died until October 1995. WHO estimates that 30-40 million people worldwide will be infected with HIV in 2000.

There are 2 types of the virus that causes AIDS, namely HIV-1 and HIV-2.
HIV-1 is most prevalent in the western region, Europe, Asia and Central Africa, South and East. HIV-2 is mainly found in West Africa.

In order to infect the virus must enter the blood cells that entered in this case are white blood cells called lymphocytes. Viral genetic material is inserted into the DNA of infected cells. Inside the white blood cells with this virus and destroy the cells multiply and produce a new virus which then attack other cells. The new virus particles then infect other lymphocytes and destroy it. Viruses attached to the lymphocytes which have a receptor protein called CD4, which is found in the outer membrane.
Cells that have CD4 receptors are usually called CD4 + cells or helper T lymphocytes.
Helper T lymphocyte function to activate and regulate other cells in the immune system (such as B lymphocytes, macrophages and cytotoxic T lymphocytes), which all help to destroy malignant cells and foreign organisms.
Infection with HIV causes the destruction of helper T lymphocytes, resulting in weakness of body systems in protecting themselves against infection and cancer. A person infected by HIV will lose the helper T lymphocytes through 3 stages for several months or years:

1. Healthy people have a CD4 lymphocyte count as much as 800-1300 cells / mL blood. In the first few months after HIV infection, the numbers decreased by 40-50%. During these months the patient can transmit HIV to others because of many virus particles contained in the blood. Mekipun body fight the virus but the body can not deny that he was exposed to infection.

2. After about 6 months, the virus particles in the blood reaches a stable level, which varies in each patient. Destruction of CD4 + cells and transmission of disease to other people continues.
High levels of viral particles and CD4 + lymphocyte levels are low to help doctors in determining those at high risk of suffering from AIDS.

3. 1-2 years before the onset of AIDS, CD4 + lymphocyte count usually rapidly declining. If the level reaches 200 cells / mL blood, then the patient becomes susceptible to infection.