Signs of HIV & AIDS

Early Signs and Symptoms of HIV
Some people experience signs and symptoms of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), as soon as they become infected, while others do not. When they occur, early signs and symptoms are often mistaken for the flu or a mild viral infection. Initial signs and symptoms of HIV include:

    * Fever

    * Headache

    * Tiredness

    * Nausea

    * Diarrhea

    * Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin

Any symptoms from becoming infected typically resolve in one to four weeks.

As you can see, the signs and symptoms of HIV infection are similar to those for many different viral infections. The only way to know for sure if you are infected with HIV is to be tested. Many people infected with HIV do not have any signs and symptoms at all for many years.
Later Signs and Symptoms of HIV/AIDS
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says the following signs and symptoms may be warning signs of late-stage HIV infection:

    * rapid weight loss

    * dry cough

    * recurring fever or profuse night sweats

    * profound and unexplained fatigue

    * swollen lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck

    * diarrhea lasting more than a week

    * white spots or unusual blemishes on the tongue, in the mouth, or in the throat

    * pneumonia

    * red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids

    * memory loss, depression, and other neurological disorders

HIV destroys the white blood cells that are required to fight infection. As the white cell count falls to dangerous levels, numerous infections and diseases emerge. It is at this point that a person is said to have AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

According to the CDC, as with an initial HIV infection, you cannot rely on these signs and symptoms to establish a diagnosis of AIDS. The symptoms of AIDS are similar to the symptoms of many other illnesses. AIDS is a medical diagnosis made by a healthcare professional based on specific criteria established by the CDC.

Source:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "How can I tell if I'm infected with HIV? What are the symptoms?" http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/qa/qa5.htm
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by: bUtod

The Story of Lina Medina, the World's Youngest Mother

Lina Medina (born September 27, 1933, in Ticrapo, Huancavelica Region, Peru) is the youngest confirmed mother in medical history, giving birth at the age of five years, seven months and 21 days. She now lives in Lima, Peru.

Early development:

Born in Ticrapo, Peru,^[1] Medina was brought to a hospital by her parents at the age of five years due to increasing abdominal size. She was originally thought to have had a tumor, but her doctors determined she was in her seventh month of pregnancy. Dr. Gerardo Lozada took her to Lima, Peru, prior to the surgery to have other specialists confirm that Medina was pregnant.
A month and a half later, on May 14, 1939, she gave birth to a boy by a caesarean section necessitated by her small pelvis. The surgery was performed by Dr. Lozada and Dr. Busalleu, with Dr. Colareta providing anaesthesia. Her case was reported in detail by Dr. Edmundo Escomel in the medical journal La Presse Médicale, including the additional details that her menarche had occurred at eight months of age (or 2½ according to a different article)^[1] and that she had prominent breast development by the age of four. By age five, her figure displayed pelvic widening and advanced bone maturation. When doctors performed the caesarean to deliver her baby, they found she already had fully mature sexual organs from precocious puberty.

 

Her son:

Medina's son weighed 2.7 kg (6.0 lb; 0.43 st) at birth and was named Gerardo after her doctor. Gerardo was raised believing that Medina was his sister, but found out at the age of 10 that she was his mother. He grew up healthy but died in 1979 at the age of 40 of a bone marrow disease.

Documentation:

There are two published photographs documenting the case. The first was taken around the beginning of April 1939, when Medina was seven and a half months into pregnancy. Taken from Medina's left side, it shows her standing naked in front of a neutral backdrop. This is the only published photograph of Lina taken during her pregnancy.
This photograph is of significant value because it documents her condition and the extent of her physiological development.^[5] The other photograph is of far greater clarity and was taken a year later in Lima when Gerardo was eleven months old.
Although the case was called a hoax by some, a number of doctors over the years have verified it based on biopsies, X rays of the fetal skeleton in utero, and photographs taken by the doctors caring for her.^[6] Extreme precocious puberty in children 5 or under is very uncommon; pregnancy and delivery by a child this young remains extremely rare. Extreme precocious puberty is treated to suppress fertility, preserve growth potential, and reduce the social consequences of full sexual development in childhood.

External links: 

Lina Medina World's youngest mother gives birth; at IncredibleBirthsHomestead.

References:

• Escomel, Edmundo (May 13, 1939). "La Plus Jeune Mère du Monde". La Presse Medicale 47 (38): 744. 
• Escomel, Edmundo (May 31, 1939). "La Plus Jeune Mère du Monde". La Presse Medicale 47 (43): 875. 
• Escomel, Edmundo (December 19, 1939). "L'ovaire de Lina Medina, la Plus Jeune Mère du Monde". La Presse Medicale 47 (94): 1648. 
• "Five-and-Half-Year-old Mother and Baby Reported Doing Well". Los Angeles Times: 2. May 16, 1939. 
• "Physician Upholds Birth Possibility". Los Angeles Times: 2. May 16, 1939. 
• "U.S. Health Official Returns from Peru". The New York Times: 9. November 15, 1939. 
• "Mother, 5, to Visit Here". The New York Times: 21. August 8, 1940. 
• "Wife of Peruvian Envoy Arrives to Join Him Here". The New York Times: 8. July 29, 1941. 

"The Mother Peru Forgot". Hamilton Spectator (Spectator Wire Services): B4. August 23, 2002.