Myths and Facts about HIV/AIDS

Having HIV Means You Have AIDS?

Myth. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that destroys the body's CD4 immune cells, which help fight disease. With the right medications, you can have HIV for years or decades without HIV progressing to AIDS. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is diagnosed when you have HIV as well as certain opportunistic infections or your CD4 cell count drops below 200.

It's Difficult to Get HIV From Casual Contact?

Fact. You can't catch or spread HIV from hugging someone, using the same towel, or sharing the same glass. It's very rare to get HIV from a blood transfusion -- the U.S. blood supply is carefully tested. However, you can spread the disease from having unprotected sex, sharing needles, or getting a tattoo from unsterilized equipment.

You Have Just a Few Years to Live?

Myth. Everyone with HIV experiences it differently. Some people may develop AIDS within a few months as the virus quickly weakens their immune system. Many others can live for decades with HIV and have a normal life expectancy. You can help prevent HIV from progressing to AIDS by seeing your doctor regularly and following your doctor's recommendations.

You'll Know You Have HIV Because of Your Symptoms?

Myth. Some people don't show any signs of HIV for years after being infected. Many can have some symptoms within 10 days to a few weeks after infection. These first symptoms are similar to the flu or mononucleosis and may include fever, fatigue, rash, and sore throat. They usually disappear after a few weeks and you may not have symptoms again for several years. The only way to tell you have HIV is to get tested.

HIV Can Be Cured?

Myth. There is no cure for HIV, but treatment can keep virus levels low and help maintain your immune system. Some drugs interfere with proteins HIV needs to copy itself; others block the virus from entering or inserting its genetic material into your immune cells. Your doctor will consider your general health, the health of your immune system, and the amount of virus in your body to decide when to start treatment.

Anyone Can Get HIV?

Fact. About 56,000 people in the U.S. get HIV each year, and 18,000 people with AIDS die each year. Anyone can get HIV -- men, women, and children, people who are gay or straight. Men who have sex with men make up more than half (53%) of new HIV infections each year. Women account for 27% of new infections, and children 13%. African-Americans make up almost half of all new HIV infections each year.

Sex Is Safe When Both Partners Have HIV?

Myth. Just because you and your partner both have HIV, doesn't mean you should forget about protection when you have sex. Using a condom or other latex barrier can help protect you from other sexually transmitted diseases as well as other strains of HIV, which may be resistant to anti-HIV medication. Even if you are being treated and feel well you can still infect others.

You Can Have a Baby if You Are HIV-Positive?

Fact. Infected mothers can indeed pass HIV to their babies during pregnancy or delivery. However, you can lower the risk by working with your doctor and getting the appropriate care and medication. Pregnant women with HIV can take medications to treat their infection and to protect their babies against the virus.

You Can’t Avoid Other HIV-Related Infections?

Myth. Due to weakened immune systems, people with HIV can be vulnerable to infections like pneumocystis pneumonia, tuberculosis, candidiasis, cytomegalovirus, and toxoplasmosis. The best way to reduce your risk is to take your HIV medications. Some infections can be prevented with drugs. You can lessen your exposure to some germs by avoiding undercooked meat, litter boxes, and water that may be contaminated.

Without Insurance You Can't Get Lifesaving Drugs?

Myth. There are government programs, nonprofit groups, and some pharmaceutical companies that may help cover of the cost of HIV/AIDS drugs. But be aware: These drug "cocktails" can cost $15,000 a year. Talk to your local HIV/AIDS service organization to learn about financial help.

HIV No Barrier to Getting Liver Transplant

Liver transplants to treat a common type of liver cancer are a viable option for people infected with HIV.
 The Italian study found that the AIDS-causing virus doesn't affect survival rates and cancer recurrence after transplants among HIV patients with this particular type of liver cancer, called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The study's authors noted, however, that HCC is more aggressive in people with HIV and it is becoming a major cause of death among these patients as antiretroviral treatment prolongs their lives.

The key message of this study is that liver transplantation is a valid option for HCC treatment in HIV-infected patients.
The study involved 30 HIV-positive patients and 125 patients not infected with HIV who received a liver transplant to treat HCC at three different hospitals in northern Italy between 2004 and 2009.

During a follow-up period of roughly 32 months, the researchers found a recurrence of HCC in 6.7 percent of the patients with HIV and 14.4 percent of the patients who were not HIV positive.

The study also revealed that survival was similar for all of the patients one year after surgery and three years post-surgery.

The researchers, led by Dr. Fabrizio Di Benedetto, associate professor of surgery at the University of Modena, said the HIV-positive patients were treated with antiretroviral therapy until they underwent the transplant. The therapy was not resumed until their liver function stabilized after surgery.

None of the HIV-positive patients developed AIDS during the post-surgery follow-up period. The study's authors suggested that this may be due to timely resumption of HIV therapy following the liver transplant.

New options in antiviral therapy for people with HIV could improve control of the HIV virus as well as outcomes following liver transplant for HCC, the researchers said.

Patients with HIV undergoing liver transplant for HCC would benefit most from a multidisciplinary approach to care, the study authors said, which would involve collaboration among oncologists, radiologists, gastroenterologists, liver surgeons and infectious disease specialists.

How HIV Kills Immune Cells

Untreated HIV infection destroys a person's immune system by killing infection-fighting cells, but precisely when and how HIV wreaks this destruction has been a mystery until now.

New research by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, reveals how HIV triggers a signal telling an infected immune cell to die. This finding has implications for preserving the immune systems of HIV-infected individuals.

 HIV replicates inside infection-fighting human immune cells called CD4+ T cells through complex processes that include inserting its genes into cellular DNA. The scientists discovered that during this integration step, a cellular enzyme called DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) becomes activated. DNA-PK normally coordinates the repair of simultaneous breaks in both strands of molecules that comprise DNA. As HIV integrates its genes into cellular DNA, single-stranded breaks occur where viral and cellular DNA meet. Nevertheless, the scientists discovered, the DNA breaks during HIV integration surprisingly activate DNA-PK, which then performs an unusually destructive role: eliciting a signal that causes the CD4+ T cell to die. 

The cells that succumb to this death signal are the very ones mobilized to fight the infection.

According to the scientists, these new findings suggest that treating HIV-infected individuals with drugs that block early steps of viral replication -- up to and including activation of DNA-PK and integration -- not only can prevent viral replication, but also may improve CD4+ T cell survival and immune function. The findings also may shed light on how reservoirs of resting HIV-infected cells develop and may aid efforts to eliminate these sites of persistent infection.