How to deal with HIV based on the symptoms of the disease that appears

HIV / AIDS cannot be cured. However, this does not mean that it is an obstacle for PLWHA (people with HIV and AIDS) to get medical care. The development of viral infections in the body can still be controlled with appropriate therapy. Here are various ways to deal with HIV disease, plus other treatments that can be done to treat symptoms that appear.

The right way to deal with HIV disease

Symptoms of HIV disease make the immune system gradually weaken. Infections caused by HIV can also develop very quickly. This in turn makes sufferers more susceptible to opportunistic diseases and other chronic complications.

However, this does not mean that the medical world does not have a variety of ways to deal with the development of HIV disease so that each sufferer can live a long life.

Reporting from various sources, here are ways you can deal with the disease since you were first diagnosed with HIV:

1. Start ART treatment

The first and foremost way to deal with HIV disease is by taking medication.

HIV treatment with combination antiretroviral drugs (ART) not only helps suppress viral load to control symptoms and risk of complications, but also prevents transmission of the virus to other people. Doctors recommend that all people with AIDS and HIV start HAART therapy as soon as possible after diagnosis.

There are five classes of ARV drugs that are used as a way to treat HIV disease, which include:

Entry inhibitors
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
Integrase inhibitors
Protease inhibitors

These drugs do not kill the HIV virus all at once. The focus of HIV treatment through ARV is to target the virus in every life cycle at each stage of the disease. In this way, the virus cannot replicate itself.

It is very important for PLWHA to consistently and regularly take medication as prescribed by the doctor. The reason is, the dose changed arbitrarily can lead to increase the risk of treatment failure, even the emergence of dangerous side effects of ARVs.

Skipping doses of drugs can also run the risk of making the virus multiply and making them resistant to the drugs. Viruses that no longer respond to the action of drugs will increasingly attack the immune system.

2. Maintain a healthy diet

PLWHA are prone to drastic weight loss. In addition, you may also experience diarrhea, weakness, and fever, which limits your nutritional intake from food.

Therefore, it is very important for every PLWHA to balance treatment by maintaining a healthy diet. Planning the right diet for PLWHA can be a way to maintain nutritional status and also boost the immune system.

Make sure the food you eat is high in calories but still nutritionally balanced, which includes protein, carbohydrates, fiber, good fats, and vitamins and minerals.

Some of the following ways can also help deal with drastic weight loss due to HIV disease:

Consult a nutritionist to get information on foods or a list of what nutrients should be consumed while living with HIV.
Take a high protein supplement according to the recommendation of a nutritionist.

If the body of a person with HIV gets thinner, the more calories are needed.

3. Exercise routine

A weakened immune system due to HIV infection can cause symptoms of chronic weakness for no reason.

However, that doesn't mean living with HIV will stop you from exercising. Routine light physical activity can actually help strengthen the body's immune system to fight infection.

A study from the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine found that exercise with low to moderate intensity can help PLWHA avoid the various risks of other viral infections.

Choose the type of exercise you enjoy, whether it's yoga, running, cycling, swimming, or even just walking. Also try building your muscle mass with weight training or strength training, such as push-ups and squats.

Doing something that you really like can encourage you to consistently do it, including in sports matters.

4. Prevent transmission to others

If you are infected with HIV, it is not enough just to apply the various methods above to deal with this infectious disease. You also need to protect the people around you from spreading HIV. How?

HIV infection is very easily spread through certain body fluids that contain the virus, for example blood, semen (which contains sperm), pre-ejaculation fluids, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.

Well, one way to deal with the spread of HIV disease is to have safe sex using a condom. You will also be advised not to get tattoos or body piercings and to donate blood while you are diagnosed with HIV.

If you are a woman and are pregnant, your doctor will advise you to prevent HIV transmission to your baby by performing a cesarean section and not exclusive breastfeeding.

How to deal with HIV disease based on general symptoms

The more viruses in the body, HIV infection will destroy the more CD4 cells that function to fight disease. As a result, your body will get sick easily.

So, various symptoms and other health problems that accompany HIV infection may require their own treatment in addition to ARV drugs.

Here are some ways to deal with diseases that appear according to the symptoms of HIV that you experience in general.

1. Dry and itchy skin

Dry, itchy skin is one of the symptoms that appears when the immune system is damaged by HIV. To control the symptoms of HIV disease, here are some ways to deal with HIV that you can do:

Apply an anti-fungal or antibacterial cream as recommended by your doctor
Take steroids and antihistamines from your doctor
Don't forget to use a moisturizer

Some people with HIV have molluscum contagiosum. This is a viral infection that causes small, flesh-colored bumps on the skin. Lumps can appear to spread to people with HIV.

So the best way to deal with HIV disease when experiencing this condition is to immediately see a dermatologist for immediate treatment.

2. Red rash

The red skin rash that occurs with HIV symptoms can cause pain, even blisters. This condition can be caused by shingles, if you have previously had chicken pox.

Usually, shingles affects people over the age of 60. But if you are infected with HIV, you can catch it at a young age, even though you are younger.

The right way to deal with HIV if this condition occurs is to immediately contact a doctor while doing several ways to deal with HIV in the form of this itchy rash at home:

Here's how to deal with HIV disease that causes a rash:

Take a pain reliever such as ibuprofen
Apply calamine lotion
Take a colloidal oatmeal bath
Cold compress the itchy and hot

3. Fever

Fever is one of the most common symptoms of HIV. Fever occurs as a sign of inflammation in your body due to the immune system working hard to fight the virus.

The way to deal with HIV that causes fever is to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Also warm compresses on the folds of your body such as the folds of the neck, armpits, and groin to help reduce fever.

If the fever does not get better for 2 to 3 days, the best way to deal with HIV is to immediately see a doctor for treatment.

4. Cough

Coughing is a sign that your body is removing foreign substances from the respiratory tract properly. However, a cough that lasts for weeks without getting better can be a symptom of HIV.

If not treated immediately with the right way to deal with HIV, this condition can seriously disrupt the routine of HIV sufferers.

HIV people with low CD4 cell counts are prone to developing a lung infection called pneumonia. The main symptoms can be dry cough, shortness of breath, and the body becomes tired. The best way to deal with HIV is to immediately see a doctor for examination and cough medicine.

You can relieve cough due to HIV in ways such as:

Use a humidifier at home
Drink lots of mineral water to avoid dehydration
Eating warm food such as warm chicken soup to relieve itching in the throat.

5. Diarrhea

Diarrhea that lasts a long time is usually experienced by people with weak immune systems, one of whom is HIV.

It is mandatory to consult a doctor as a way to deal with HIV which causes diarrhea due to infection caused by HIV.

As for home care, you can treat diarrhea by treating HIV as follows:

Eat foods that are good for diarrhea like bananas, rice, and potatoes. These foods are easily digested by the stomach with diarrhea
Drink lots of mineral water to stay well hydrated