Let’s take a look at the initial symptoms of AIDS, the cause, and the possibility of cure. AIDS is mainly spread through sexual contact, contaminated blood contact, and vertical infections from infected mothers to fetuses or newborns. In the early stages of infection, symptoms similar to the flu may appear or asymptomatic, and after the incubation period of the next years, the immune system is seriously damaged. Although there is no complete cure, there is no complete cure, but the treatment of anti -viruses can suppress the virus and maintain a normal life, and various cure studies such as stem cell transplantation and gene editing are underway.
Early symptoms
AIDS (AIDS) is a state in which the immune system is seriously damaged because of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). HIVs in the early stages of infection causes symptoms similar to the flu, but some have no symptoms. The initial symptoms that occur between about two to four weeks after HIV infection are also called acute retoviral syndrome, which occurs in the process of the body’s immune system against the virus. These initial symptoms usually last for 1 to 2 weeks and disappear, and will be asymptomatic for the next few years.
Features of early AIDS symptoms
In the early stages of HIV infection, the following characteristic symptoms may appear:
- having fever: One of the most common symptoms of early HIV infections. The body temperature rises above the normal range, often with sweating, chills and tremors. This is because the immune system causes an inflammatory reaction when the virus moves to the bloodstream and begins to replicate in large quantities. Fever usually occurs with other minor symptoms.
- Tired and headaches: In acute HIV infection, severe fatigue and headaches often occur. This is because the body consumes energy to fight the virus. Fatigue can be serious enough to be difficult to carry out everyday activities, and it is characterized by not being able to recover easily even if you take enough rest. Headaches can be persistent and strong.
- Lymph node: In the early stages of HIV infection, lymph nodes such as neck, armpits, and groin may be swollen and painful. This is a sign that the immune system is activated and fighting the virus. Lymph nodes can be accompanied by pain and tend to occur simultaneously at multiple areas. This symptom can last for several months after other early symptoms disappear.
Skin and oral symptoms
In the early stages of HIV infection, various symptoms may occur in the skin and oral cavity:
- rash: Red rashes may appear on your face, chest, and back around 2-3 weeks after HIV infection. This rash usually appears in flat and small red spots, sometimes slightly protruding. The rash usually lasts for a few days and several weeks and disappears. This is caused by the body’s immune response to the virus.
- Oral and genital ulcers: In the early stages of HIV infection, ulcers with pain in the mouth or genitals may occur. This ulcer is usually round and painful, and it can make meals or drinks difficult. Oral ulcers occur mainly in the tongue, gums, and palate, and genital ulcers can appear around the genitals and the anus. Such ulcers can be caused by secondary infections caused by weakening of viruses or immune systems.
Symptoms of fire extinguishers and musculoskeletal
In the early stages of HIV infection, it can also affect the digestive and musculoskeletal system:
- Diarrhea and nausea: Sudden diarrhea, nausea, vomiting can occur when acute HIV infection. These symptoms are caused by the virus attacking intestinal immune cells or changes in the immune system. Diarrhea can occur several times a day, and sometimes it can be serious enough to cause dehydration. These symptoms usually last for 1-2 weeks and disappear.
- Muscle pain and joint pain: In the early stages of HIV infection, muscle pain and joint pain of the whole body are common. This feels similar to when you have a severe flu. Pain is mainly focused on the back, back, legs, etc., and can be serious enough to interfere with everyday activities. Such pain occurs as part of the immune response and inflammatory process to the virus.
Night sweating and other symptoms
There are other symptoms that can occur early in HIV infections:
- Night: During sleep at night, severe sweating can lead to wet pajamas or bedding. This is caused by the abnormalities of body temperature control function and the activation of the immune system. Night sweats often appear with fever and can reduce the quality of sleep. This symptom can last during the initial infection, sometimes intermittently.
- Sore throat: In the early stages of HIV infection, symptoms may be sore and difficult to swallow. This is caused by the virus infection of the mucous membranes of the throat or changes in the immune system. The sore throat usually appears with other early symptoms and lasts for 1-2 weeks.
Early symptoms of HIV infections can be difficult to distinguish because they are very similar to common flu or other viral infections. If these symptoms appear after dangerous behavior (unprotected sex, syringe sharing, etc.), it is important to immediately have an HIV test. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important to slow down HIV progression and maintain a healthy life.
AIDS cause/infection
AIDS is an infectious disease caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), abbreviated as an acqued immune deficiency syndrome. HIV destroys immune cells in the human body to weaken immunity, which causes various opportunities infections and tumors. In the early stages of HIV infection, symptoms similar to colds appear, and after years of asymptomatic incubation period, AIDS proceeds to AIDS with serious immunity. In Korea, more than 98% of HIV infections are occurring through sexual contact, so safe sexual intercourse is the most important preventive method.
Causes and characteristics of HIV
HIV is a virus that attacks the core cells of the human immune system, which has the following characteristics:
- Retro virus: HIV is a kind of retovirus, which has RNA as a genetic material. This virus invades the human body and converts its RNA to DNA through the reverse history process and inserts it into the genome of the host cell. The inserted virus DNA uses the function of the host cell to produce a new virus. In this process, immune cells called CD4+ T cells are the main targets.
- Immune cell destruction: HIV usually infects CD4+ T cells (help T cells) and destroys. These cells play an important role in the immune system, and as they decrease, the human body becomes vulnerable to various infections and diseases. As HIV infection progresses, the number of CD4+ T cells gradually decreases, which in turn the immune system does not function properly.
- Long -term latent ability: HIV has the ability to lurk for a long time in the body. Even after acute symptoms appear in the early stages of infection, the virus remains in the body and gradually weakens the immune system. This incubation can last from several years to decades, and during this period, infected people can live a normal life without any special symptoms.
HIV’s main infection path
HIV is spread only through certain body fluids, and the main infection paths are as follows:
- Sexual contact: The most common HIV infection path is unprotected sex. In Korea, more than 98% of the total HIV infection occurs through sexual contact. HIVs can be spread through semen, vaginal discharge, blood, etc. of infected people, especially in the anal risk of infection during anal sex. The probability of being infected with one sexual intercourse is low from 0.01 to 0.1%, but repetitive risk behavior greatly increases the likelihood of infection. Correctly used condoms can significantly reduce the risk of HIV infection.
- Blood contact: HIV can be spread through the blood of infected blood or blood formulations, and the common use of contaminated syringes. The probability of infection through the blood is very high, reaching more than 90%. However, at the moment, a thorough test for blood transfusions is rarely caused by blood transfusions. Cycles of the syringe between venous drug users are still one of the important paths of infection.
Vertical infection and other paths
In addition to sexuality and blood, HIV can spread to the following paths:
- Hat and child infection (vertical infection): The virus is spread to the fetus or newborn from the pregnant woman infected with HIV. Infection can occur through the placenta during pregnancy, through the birth process, or through breastfeeding. If you do not receive preventive treatment, the probability of infection reaches 25-30%, but if you receive appropriate anti -antenatic virus treatment during pregnancy, you can lower the risk of infection to less than 1%. Infected mothers should avoid breastfeeding after childbirth.
- Medical exposure: If you are exposed to blood or body fluids in patients infected with HIV in the medical field, it can also be an infection path. It is mainly caused by stabbing needles or intentions, in which in this case, the risk of infection is about 0.3%. Medical workers must thoroughly observe the standardist guidelines to minimize the risk of infection.
If HIV is not spread
HIV is not spread by everyday contact, and in the following cases, it is not infected:
- Daily contact: HIV does not spread simply by handshake, hugs, light kisses, and in the same space. It is also not infected by sharing dishes with infected people or eating the same food. Since HIV is not spread through air, there is no risk of infection caused by coughing or sneezing.
- Insect -mediated: HIV is not spread by mosquitoes or other insects. HIV is a virus that only spreads between people.
HIV can prevent infection through proper preventive measures and safe actions. In particular, the use of condoms, regular HIV inspections, and risk behavioral restraints are important. In addition, even if you are infected with HIV, you can find it early and get appropriate treatment to maintain a healthy life and significantly reduce the risk of spreading to others.
AIDS cure
AIDS has not been developed so far. As of 2025, the anti -roving virus treatment (ART) can suppress the virus and maintain a normal life, but this is not a cure. AIDS is divided into ‘functional cure’ and ‘sterile cure’, which means that the functional cure is maintained without the drug, and the sterile cure completely removes the virus in the body. In recent years, AIDS cure has been actively conducted through various approaches such as stem cell transplantation, genetic editing, and immunocom antibody therapy.
Curry case through stem cell transplantation
A few cases of successful HIV cure were mainly through stem cell transplantation:
- Bone marrow transplant cure case: To date, seven people have been cured by the bone marrow transplant. They all had cancer such as leukemia and lymphoma, along with HIV infections, and were transplanted by a donor with a genetic mutation (CCR5 delta 32 mutation) in the process of bone marrow transplantation for cancer treatment. This method prevents the virus from replacing the patient’s immune cells into a new cell that is resistant to HIV. However, this method is very dangerous, expensive, and it is difficult to find a suitable donor, so it is limited to use as a general treatment.
- Geneva patient case: The Geneva Patient, which was reported in July 2023, was not detected even though the anti -anti -stem cell transplant was suspended after receiving a stem cell transplant from a donor who had a resistance to HIV. This is an additional evidence that stem cell transplantation can be effective for HIV cure under certain genetic conditions.
Promising cure in 2025
As of 2025, many innovative HIV cure research is underway:
- Long -term sustained antibody therapyGilead Sciences is developing a treatment that is administered once every six months, combining Lenacapavir and extensive neutralized antibodies (BNABS). This treatment has achieved a major goal in the second phase clinical trial and has been designated by the US FDA. This approach can greatly improve the patient’s treatment compliance compared to the existing daily medication, and may lead to functional cure in the long run.
- Judo and Reduction StrategyThis strategy is to activate the latent HIV to expose the hidden virus (induction) and to remove it as a target. Companies like VIIV Healthcare are studying this approach and aim to remove the latent HIV storage while protecting healthy cells to use it with the anti -rov virus treatment.
T cell treatment and editing genes
The approach to strengthening or revising the immune system is also being actively studied:
- T cell treatment (TCRS)This treatment uses T cells specially designed to find and remove cells infected with HIV. Normal T cells are difficult to detect HIV infectious cells, but this removal removes infected cells by introducing special T cells programmed to find HIV markers. Currently, various clinical trials evaluate the safety of this approach, and the evaluation of the effect is still in its initial stage.
- Gene editing treatmentIn July 2023, a new genetic editing treatment called EBT-101 was provided by the FDA. This treatment will be completed in March 2025 and aims to cure HIV. Gene editing technology works by directly removing or disabling the virus directly from the human genome with HIV.
Cure in Africa
Global HIV cure research is expanding to various population groups:
- Acacia ResearchThis clinical trial, which began in January 2025, is the second HIV cure study in Africa. This study evaluates the method of administering two long-term sustainable neutralization antibodies (3bnc117-LS and 10-1074-LS) at the time of HIV treatment. These antibodies last for several months in the body, and after 15 months, they stop treating anti -viruses and observe whether they can maintain the virus inhibition.
- Fresh/Gilead StudyThis study is mainly aimed at South African women with type C -type viruses and is an important study for global cure agenda. The study, which explores the possibility of cure in various population groups and viruses, was presented at the CROI Society in San Francisco in March 2025.
HIV cure research is considered one of the most difficult scientific tasks worldwide, but as of 2025, it is more hopeful than ever. Through various approaches such as stem cell transplantation, long -term sustainable antibodies, T cell treatment, and editing genes, researchers are getting closer to the goal of cure HIV. Although there is no cure that can be used as a daily treatment, these innovative studies show the possibility of disappearing HIV into history in the future.
FAQ
Q: How does AIDS early symptoms appear?
A: In the early 2 to 4 weeks after HIV infection, early symptoms called acute retro virus syndrome may occur. The main symptoms include fever, severe fatigue, lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle pain, headaches, rashes, diarrhea, which are similar to the flu. These symptoms usually last for a week or two, then disappear, and will be asymptomatic for the next few years.
Q: What path is HIV infection?
A: HIV is spread only through certain body fluids. The main infection paths are unprotected sexual contacts (vaginal, anus, oral sexual intercourse), contaminated syringe co -use, infected blood blood transfusions, and vertical infections from infected mothers to fetus or newborns. HIV is not spread with everyday contact (handshake, hugs, kisses, tableware sharing, etc.), and it is not spread through insects such as mosquitoes.
Q: What is the cause of AIDS?
A: AIDS is caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). HIV is a kind of retro virus, which mainly infects immune cells called CD4+ T cells. As these cells decrease, the immune system weakens, making it vulnerable to various opportunities and tumors. If HIV infections are not treated, the number of CD4+ T cells drops to less than 200/μL and proceeds to AIDS.
Q: Is AIDS cure?
A: Until now, AIDS has not been developed. However, through the anti -rodrobirus treatment (ART), it can suppress the virus and maintain a normal life. There are a few cases where stem cell transplantation is cured, but it is very dangerous and costly that it is difficult to use as a general treatment. Currently, various cure studies such as long -term sustainable antibody therapy, gene editing, and T cell therapy are being actively conducted.
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