HIV - The Facts

HIV is short for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) basically is a virus that attacks your immune system and makes it weak. Your immune system is the one that normally protects or guards your body from things like germs, ex: bacteria and viruses. There are a lot of myths about how HIV is contracted but these are the only ways know to contract the virus: 1. unprotected sex 2. blood 3. Vaginal fluids, semen or feces 4. Drug users sharing needles 5. Breast milk. It cannot be transmitted through saliva or kissing, unless one or both of the people have an open cut, sore, abrasion, etc. in their mouth.

Viruses including HIV, cannot make copies of themselves on their own. In order for the virus to be able to survive, it has to invade or intrude a healthy cell in your body. HIV for example likes to intrude on your CD4 cells, which are specials cells that help your body's immune system protect you against germs and viruses that make or can make you sick. HIV has a special chemical in it to unblock and or enter the CD4 cells. This chemical is like a key on the surface of the virus, ready and waiting to open CD4 cells for invasion and infection.

HIV uses another chemical, which is the enzyme known as "reverse transcriptase", to change it so it can get entry into the cell's command center. In other words it disguises itself as a CD4 Cell to get into the cell's command center. In a healthy CD4 cell's command center, or nucleus, substances are being produced to signal the immune system to protect the body against disease. Another enzyme HIV uses is called "integrase" to get inside the command center. After getting inside the cell's command center, HIV takes control by inserting its own codes in the command center so that the reprogrammed CD4 cell will makes copies of the virus.

The CD4 cell that is infected is now an HIV factory, pumping out new viral parts. A third enzyme, known as "protease" cuts out and puts together the new viral parts into new copies of the virus. And from there new copies of the virus leave the cell and look for more CD4 cells to intrude. So basically once HIV is inside your CD4 cell it uses the three special enzymes to make copies of itself. (Remember those three enzymes are called reverse transciptase, integrase and protease)

It's very, very, very important if you find out you are HIV positive to cooperate with with your doctors and specialist. It is easier to stay on your therapy if you know how it works. HIV medications or anti-HIV medications(which are the same thing) attack the virus that is inside the CD4 cell trying to make copies. The medications (enzyme inhibitors) work by blocking the enzymes used by HIV. There are three kinds of anti-HIV medications: NRTI's (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors), NNRTI's (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors) and PI's (protease inhibitors)

NRTI's and NNRTI's stop the enzyme "reverse transcriptase" which again is the enzyme HiV uses to disguise itself and get into the CD4 cell. By stopping the enzyme, HIV is unable to change and cannot get into the cell's command center. So that makes HIV unable to make new copies of itself. PI's stop the enzyme "protease" which HIV uses to cut out and build new viral parts. Even though viral parts can possibly be produced, the parts do not go together correctly. So the defective virus can't go on to infect other cells.

If you miss doses of your medication, that can get the HIV virus an open window to enter new CD4 cells. That is why it it is very important to take your medication as the doctor explained to you.

A lot of people don't know a lot about the HIV virus and don't take time to educate themselves about it. I hope that reading this helped you understand clearly how it works and getting a better understanding on how it is passed. I feel it is very important to educate and pass along helpful information. I know first hand how it can be so if you have any questions, comments, or maybe just need a support to get through it all feel free to send me a line. I am living through it happy and healthy and always here to help. Take care and be blessed.