What are the long term effects of HIV on a patient’s body? Is there any effect of HIV on the dental health of a person suffering from the virus? This article will talk about the impact of HIV and how having an infection can affect dental health. After reading the article, you can check out go to Dentistry on Solent’s clinic in Bella Vista for all your dental care needs.
The effects of HIV on the body
There are many effects HIV has on the human body. The most common long term effect that HIV can have on the body is that it attacks and destroys CD4+ cells. These are the cells that are critical to the immune system. These cells are what protect people from infections and diseases.
Many conditions and disorders can befall a person who has HIV. These are all directly caused by the decline of the quality of the immune system of the person. A person with HIV can have compromised oral health, dementia, eating problems, flu-like symptoms, skin sores, various aches and pains around the body, and other conditions that can affect the quality of life of the person.
Luckily, people that suffer from this virus can have medication to help them cope with the effects of HIV. A drug called Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, or HAART for short is a very effective medication that can help the person adapt to life with HIV as well as making their viral load less, so as not to be able to transmit the disease to others.
HIV and dental health
Along with the other unwanted side-effects of having HIV, poor dental health is one of the ill-effects that is included in the list. This is especially true for patients who are not being treated by HAART. Patients who are infected with HIV and are not under 
medication have a higher risk of contracting oral issues. Issues such as mouth pains, mouth ulcers, oral dryness mouth lesions, periodontal disease, tooth loss and other serious conditions can happen to a person who has HIV. These are the long-term oral health effects that a person with the virus can experience, especially if they do not have HAART.
However, HAART can help a patient overcome these oral issues as well as the other conditions of the different parts of the body. Getting diagnosed with HIV and then getting medication and treatment will put the person on the path to a better life, even with HIV.
What you can do
If you have HIV, there are still ways by which you can take care of your oral health. Just because people with HIV are more prone to having oral issues, many people are coping with the virus that has good oral health. If you have any questions about your medication for HIV, and how it can help promote better oral health, talk to your doctor. They will tell you about the benefits of HAART and how it can help boost your immune system and help you achieve better oral health.
