Author: Zhang Wei (Beijing Ditan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University)
The virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV) that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS) primarily attacks the body’s immune system, causing the body to lose its ability to defend against various diseases.
How long does it typically take for a healthy person to die from HIV infection? This is a topic of concern to many people.
At present, it is believed that if AIDS patients do not receive antiretroviral treatment, the time span from infection to death for AIDS patients is very large, generally ranging from 2 to 20 years.
The virus content in the body and other factors such as individual differences will affect this long or short survival period.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
First, the three stages of development after HIV infection
An HIV-infected person typically has three developmental stages from infection to death.
1. Acute infection period
It usually begins one week after HIV infection, and may have flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, headache, etc., but most resolve quickly on their own.
2. Asymptomatic period
The period from HIV infection to the onset of AIDS symptoms is medically known as the asymptomatic period.
The length of this period varies greatly among different patients, ranging from 1 to 2 years in the short, to more than 15 years in the elderly, with an average of 5 to 7 years.
3. AIDS period
When the immune system of HIV-infected people is severely damaged and the body’s resistance to disease cannot be guaranteed, many diseases that are difficult to control and cure, such as various serious opportunistic infections, will appear and malignant tumors.
Once in the onset of AIDS, without regular and effective antiviral and complication treatment, patients generally die within two years.
II. Factors affecting the survival time of AIDS patients
The length of the asymptomatic period of AIDS varies greatly among different people, which may be related to the type, strength, quantity, and route of infection of the invading virus, as well as the infected person’s own immune function, health status, nutrition Situation, age, living and medical conditions, psychological factors, etc.
In general, the asymptomatic period may be 5-7 years, but about 5%-15% of people progress to the AIDS stage within 2-3 years, which is medically called For the “rapid progresser”; another 5% of patients have normal immune function for more than 12 years, which is medically called “long-term non-progressor”.
Photo source: Zhanku Hailuo
In addition to the “human” factor, there is also the “virus” factor. Just as human beings are divided into male and female genders, HIV is also divided into two types according to its genes: HIV-1 and HIV-2.
HIV-1 is further divided into M, O and N groups. Most HIV-1 belongs to M group, and N group is extremely rare and is the main type that causes the worldwide HIV epidemic.
M group includes 9 genotypes (A~D, F~H, J, K), and the vast majority of strains currently circulating in the world are C and A subtypes in M group type strains, followed by B subtype strains, then D and A/E recombinant strains.
Medical studies have shown that even if the number of infected viruses is basically the same, the average survival time of AIDS patients without anti-HIV treatment will vary greatly depending on the type of subtype they are infected. big difference.
If infected with subtype A virus, the average survival time is 8.8 years; for people infected with subtype D, the average survival time drops to 6.9 years; mixed D and A viruses Infected people, the survival time is even shorter, an average of only 5.8 years.
Three, how to deal with HIV infection and prolong life?
Currently, AIDS is a manageable chronic disease through scientific treatment, strict medication prescribed, and a healthy lifestyle.
International standard therapy – highly effective antiretroviral therapy (HAART), commonly known as “cocktail therapy”, can effectively inhibit viral amplification, keep the viral load at a low limit, and improve patients’ immune function , effective against various opportunistic infections.
< i class="desc">Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
The current view is that discovery is treatment, and the sooner it is treated, the less the virus will damage the body’s immune system.
In the process of receiving HAART, antiviral drugs may show toxic and side effects, and some patients have poor immune reconstruction, which brings panic to many patients receiving antiviral therapy. The major special studies of the Ministry of Health during the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” and “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” period found that: HAART combined with traditional Chinese medicine treatment can reduce the toxic and side effects of antiviral drugs, and at the same time, it has a good effect in the treatment of poor immune reconstruction. Combined with treatment, it has the effect of reducing toxicity and increasing efficacy.
As a result, thanks to advances in HIV treatment research, AIDS is no longer an incurable disease that daunts us.
Although there is currently no way to completely remove the virus from the body, it is enough to allow the infected person to return to normal life and work, to take care of their families, to enjoy life, and even to enjoy life expectancy.
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