HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV weakens and slowly destroys the body’s immune system, leaving you vulnerable to life-threatening complications from an infection or certain cancers. As HIV and AIDS battle your immune system, your central nervous system is also affected. HIV and AIDS both cause a number of neurological complications, particularly if HIV progresses to AIDS. Today, antiretroviral medicines—when taken correctly and promptly—help to slow down the progression of HIV. They also help to delay the onset of or to decrease the risk of progression to AIDS. Controlling HIV can also reduce your risk for neurological complications of HIV. Facts about HIV/AIDSHIV is a virus that's sexually transmitted, but can also be passed from mother to baby and person to person by sharing a contaminated needle or through transfusion of contaminated blood. Untreated, the virus will continue to replicate in the body, becoming more and more advanced. Advanced HIV becomes AIDS. This often results in a number of neurological complications as the body becomes more damaged. HIV doesn't seem to take over the cells in your nervous system, but it does cause significant inflammation in the body. This inflammation can damage the spinal cord and brain and prevent your nerve cells from working the way that they should. Neurological complications may result not only from damage caused by the virus itself, but also from other side effects of HIV and AIDS, such as cancers that are associated with these diseases. Some of the drugs used to treat HIV and AIDS can also cause neurological complications while attempting to control the rapid spread of the virus. Certain genetic factors can influence the risk of neurological side effects from HIV medicines. Neurological complications don't usually set in until HIV is advanced, typically when someone has AIDS. About half of adults with AIDS suffer from neurological complications related to HIV. Types of neurological complications of HIVHIV can cause many different conditions that affect the nervous system:
SymptomsOnce HIV begins affecting your immune system, it can cause many different symptoms. HIV-related neurological complications may lead to:
DiagnosisAlthough a blood test can diagnose HIV and AIDS, a number of other diagnostic tests are needed to look at the different parts of the nervous system and diagnose neurological problems. Tests often include:
TreatmentAntiretroviral medicines are used to stop HIV from replicating and spreading throughout the body. They are also used to help reduce the risk that it will cause damage to the nervous system. Specific neurological conditions and complications are treated differently. Cancer may be treated with chemotherapy and radiation, and bacterial infections need antibiotics. Certain medicines may help manage viral infections, and medicines to manage pain can help to ease nerve pain. Counseling and medicines, including antidepressants, may be used to manage some of the psychological conditions associated with HIV. PreventionFollowing all of your healthcare provider's recommendations, especially taking all antiretroviral medicines exactly as prescribed, can help control HIV and prevent its progression. Suppressing the virus with medicines can help prevent damage to the body, including nervous system damage and neurological complications. Managing HIVLiving a healthy lifestyle can help you better control HIV and prevent the progression to AIDS. Eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, practicing safe sex, and following your medicine regimen are all important steps in managing HIV. Virtually every major medical breakthrough in the past half-century has been achieved because a biomedical scientist unraveled one more mystery of biology. The discoveries of Johns Hopkins scientists have led to vaccine, treatment and diagnostic breakthroughs. The Johns Hopkins Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences continues the legacy by leading research into the causes and treatments of numerous biomedical conditions. When people with HIV don’t get treatment, they typically progress through three stages. But HIV treatment can slow or prevent progression of the disease. With advances in HIV treatment, progression to Stage 3 (AIDS) is less common today than in the early years of HIV.
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