Living with HIV/AIDS

This article is for people who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is the virus that causes the disease acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

You might also want to share this article with your friends and family. It will help you, and them, understand more about HIV.

Although HIV is a serious infection, people with HIV and AIDS are living longer, healthier lives today, thanks to new and effective treatments. This article will help you understand how you can live with HIV and how you can keep yourself healthy.

You probably have many questions about HIV, such as:

• What is HIV and how did I get it?
• What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
• How can I stay healthy longer?
• How do I protect other people from my HIV?
• Where can I find help in fighting HIV?

This booklet will give you answers to many of your questions. You should feel free to ask your doctor any question about HIV. Other sources of information about HIV are listed at the back of this article.

What is HIV and how did I get it?

The first cases of AIDS were identified in the United States in 1981, but it most likely existed here and in other parts of the world for many years before that. In 1984 scientists proved that HIV causes AIDS.

You might have caught HIV by having unprotected sex -- sex without a condom -- with someone who has HIV. Or you might have shared a needle to inject drugs or shared drug "works" with someone who has HIV. Babies born to women with HIV also can become infected. Although in the past you could get HIV from a blood transfusion, today it is unlikely you got infected that way because all blood in the United States has been tested for HIV since 1985. You could not have gotten HIV just from working with or being around someone who has HIV -- and no one can get it from you that way. HIV also is not spread by insect bites or stings, on toilet seats, or through everyday things like sharing a meal.

What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?

When HIV enters your body, it infects your "CD4 cells" and kills them. CD4 cells sometimes called T-helper cells) help your body fight off infection and disease. Usually, CD4 cell counts in someone with a healthy immune system range from 500 to 1800.

When you lose CD4 cells, your immune system breaks down and you can't fight infections and diseases as well. When your CD4 cell count goes under 200, doctors say you have AIDS. Doctors also say you have AIDS if you have HIV and certain diseases, such as tuberculosis or Pneumocystis carinii (NEW-mo-SIS-tis CA-RIN-nee-eye) pneumonia (PCP), even if your CD4 cell count is over 200.