Contents:
- Medical Video: HIV / AIDS - Causes, Symptoms, Treatments & More…
- Characteristics of HIV and AIDS in women, based on the stages of infection that occur
- Initial stage
- Further stages
- The final stage
Medical Video: HIV / AIDS - Causes, Symptoms, Treatments & More…
In 2015, there were an estimated 17.8 million women suffering from HIV and AIDS. Not only that, it is also known that HIV and AIDS is the leading cause of death for women of childbearing age, namely between 15-44 years. The high level of women who have HIV and AIDS can also be caused by a lack of knowledge of the characteristics and symptoms of HIV and AIDS. Therefore, the following are characteristics of HIV and AIDS in women that are common and often occur.
Characteristics of HIV and AIDS in women, based on the stages of infection that occur
Actually, there are no differences in the characteristics of HIV and AIDS in women with men, both of whom will experience symptoms according to the stages of HIV infection they experience. The following are the stages experienced by women who suffer from HIV and AIDS:
Initial stage
In the early stages, the characteristics of HIV and AIDS in women were similar to flu symptoms, so not many realized that the conditions they experienced at that time were the initial stages of HIV and AIDS. The characteristics of HIV and AIDS in women who commonly appear at this stage are:
- Rash on the body
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Headache
While less common traits that may occur in women at this early stage:
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fatigue
- Mouth sores
- Vaginal infections due to fungi and bacterial vaginosis
- Frequent sweating at night
- Muscle and joint pain
The symptoms and signs experienced by women at this stage last for at least one to two weeks. After that, he will enter the next stage.
Further stages
Upon entering this stage, women affected by HIV and AIDS will not experience certain symptoms, signs and characteristics. In the advanced stages, the HIV virus is undergoing replication in the body, begins to break down the immune system, and attacks cells that build the immune system. This condition can occur in months or even years.
In some cases it is even known that a person can experience this stage for more than ten years. Although there are no characteristics, symptoms, and special signs that arise, at this stage the immune system is weakened.
The final stage
If someone does not undergo any treatment to deal with his HIV infection, he will enter the final stage of HIV and AIDS. At this stage the HIV virus manages to take over all the immune systems, causing the body to be very weak and vulnerable to infectious diseases. In this final stage, the characteristics of HIV and AIDS in women that often appear are:
- Acute diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Significant weight loss
- Always feeling tired
- Sores and inflammation in the mouth
- Vaginal infection
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or pelvic inflammation. This inflammation attacks the female reproductive parts such as the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
- Chronic fever
- Breath shortens
- Chronic cough
- Swollen lymph glands
- Having a nervous system disorder
- Decreased ability to remember
- Changes to the menstrual cycle, become more frequent or even rare, blood that comes out very much, or experience amenorrhea (no menstruation) for more than 90 days.
