1.1. What is HIV

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This virus causes a slowly progressive disease, HIV infection. The final stage of the disease is known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Thanks to the advancements in modern medicine, the medical professionals now consider HIV a chronic disease. People who receive the appropriate treatment and follow the recommendations of the doctor are able to live a full life: HIV infection does not progress and is not developing into AIDS. Therefore, the life of an infected person is brought to the natural processes of aging, and individuals who have HIV have absolutely the same life expectancy as those without the virus.

Enormous advances in HIV treatment regimens, such as highly active antiretroviral therapy, make the virus level and the probability of its transmission reduced to zero.

Over time, the immune system of a person living with HIV and not taking any treatment loses its ability to protect the body against infection and viral diseases. In addition, the risk of HIV transmission increases, because the amount of virus in the blood, sperm, vaginal secret glands and human breast milk may be sufficient to infect other people.

HIV-infected people may not know that they are HIV-positive for many years. However, the immune system ceases to function properly without treatment, and life-threatening concomitant diseases develop that could eventually lead to death. Therefore, it is extremely important to identify HIV in good time and start drug therapy before HIV has seriously damaged your immune system.