Take the Seniors and HIV/AIDS Quiz
Twenty-five percent of all people in the U.S. with HIV/AIDS are age 50 or older, and the number of older people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS each year is increasing.
1. If you are infected with HIV, you will definitely get AIDS.
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AIDS is the most advanced form of HIV infection; not everyone with HIV will develop AIDS. If there's any chance you may be infected with HIV, you should be tested as soon as possible. There are medications that can help keep the virus in check and keep it from damaging your immune system further. The number of people 50 years and older living with HIV has increased, in part, because of a treatment called highly active antiretroviral drug therapy.
2. HIV can be passed from one person to another by shaking hands.
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You can't get HIV by shaking hands, casually kissing or hugging, or being coughed or sneezed on. The virus is not passed on from a toilet seat, doorknobs, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. HIV is passed from one person to another through body fluids: blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. The virus can be passed on most readily during vaginal, oral, and anal sex if you are not using a latex condom. It is can also be spread by sharing needles and/or syringes with someone who is infected with HIV. Others at an increased risk are health care workers who can get a stick from a needle containing HIV-infected blood.
3. If you are sexually active, it's important to know your partner's sexual history.
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You can't tell by how a person looks whether he or she is infected with HIV. You need to know whether your partner has been tested for HIV, if your partner has had a number of different sex partners, and if your partner has had unprotected sex. According to the CDC, if a man has had sex with other men, he should get tested at least once a year. Women should get tested with each new sex partner.
4. Only drug abusers have to worry about the dangers of sharing needles.
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HIV can be passed on by anyone sharing a needle. A person with diabetes who might share a needle to inject insulin or to draw blood to check blood glucose levels is at risk for the virus.
5. The nation's blood supply is screened for HIV, so blood transfusions are safe.
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There is still a slight risk, however. According to the CDC, the risk for infection with HIV in the United States through a blood transfusion or blood products is extremely low and has become progressively lower, even in geographic areas with high HIV prevalence rates. If you received a blood transfusion between 1978 and 1985, before blood was routinely checked for HIV, you should get tested. Also, if you have had an operation or a transfusion in a developing country, no matter what year it was, you should be tested.
6. Almost 25 percent of all Americans who have HIV/AIDS are 50 or older.
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That's about 280,000 Americans. Because many older people don't get routinely tested for HIV, the number may be higher.
7. People ages 50 and older may not recognize HIV symptoms in themselves because they think that what they are feeling and experiencing is part of normal aging.
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And many people have no symptoms when they are first infected with HIV or for years afterward. They may even dismiss minor flulike symptoms that can occur several weeks after infection.
8. Doctors may not think to look for HIV in older adults.
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Doctors also seldom ask their older patients about their sex lives or their drug use. In turn, older patients are less likely than younger patients to bring up either of these subjects with their doctor.
9. Many older people infected with HIV would rather suffer in silence than tell friends or family about their illness.
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Older people with HIV are also less likely to join support groups that could help them cope with their illness. They may have more severe cases of depression in response to a diagnosis of HIV than younger patients.
10. If you get treatment early enough, you can be cured of HIV infection.
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There is no cure for HIV. Early treatment can help keep the virus in check and help block your condition from advancing to AIDS. The best treatment is prevention. Do not have multiple sex partners. Make sure your partner is not infected with HIV. Use a condom during sex. Do not share intravenous needles.
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