HIV causes AIDS by damaging the immune system cells until the immune system can no longer fight off other infections that it would usually be able to prevent.
It takes around ten years on average for someone with HIV to develop AIDS. However, this average is based on a person having a reasonable diet, and someone who is malnourished may well progress from HIV to AIDS more rapidly.
How is HIV treated?
Antiretroviral drugs keep the levels of HIV in the body at a low level, so that the immune system is able to recover and work effectively. Antiretroviral drugs enable many HIV positive people to live long and healthy lives.
Starting antiretroviral treatment involves commitment – drugs have to be taken every day, and for the rest of a person’s life. Adhering to treatment is important, particularly because not doing so increases the risk of drug resistance. Side effects can make adherence difficult, and are sometimes very severe. There are ways of reducing the impact of these side effects, but sometimes it is necessary to change to an alternative treatment regime.
There are more than 20 approved antiretroviral drugs in the US and Europe, as well as many new drugs currently undergoing trials. Although treatment for HIV has become more widely available in recent years, access to antiretroviral treatment is limited in some parts of the world due to a lack of funding.
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