 What is the Difference Between HIV and AIDS? Let's start with HIV. HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Human - only humans get this virus. You cannot be infected by a pet or insect, like a mosquito. Immunodeficiency - This term is used to describe a person's immune system that is weak or deficient. As a result, a person with immunodeficiency may have trouble fighting off diseases and infections. Virus - A virus is a specific type of germ (or antigen) that causes disease. Other germs like bacteria, fungi, and parasites can be killed with specific medications. Unfortunately, viruses can't be killed because they aren't alive in the first place. You can't take a medicine like an antibiotic and eliminate HIV. Viruses, like HIV, stay with us forever. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is the result of a weakened immune system caused by HIV infection. AIDS is diagnosed when a person tests positive for HIV and also has one or more of the opportunistic infections and conditions of AIDS (there are 27) and/or has a laboratory marker test of 200 or fewer T-cells. AIDS should be diagnosed by a physician. The opportunistic infections associated with AIDS are called AIDS-defining illnesses and should also be diagnosed by a doctor. Both HIV infection and AIDS are considered to be chronic illnesses. Both illnesses can be managed with both pharmacy drugs and support therapies. In most cases, people infected with HIV or diagnosed with AIDS can both extend their lives and improve the quality of their lives with the proper drugs and therapies. What are the symptoms of AIDS? Becoming infected with HIV and becoming sick from AIDS are two different things. For most people, it takes many years from the time someone is infected with HIV to the time that they develop symptoms of AIDS. There are two separate time periods when someone may show symptoms related to HIV-infection. Acute Viral Syndrome The first time period is during the first few weeks after infection from HIV. Some people who are newly infected may develop flu-like symptoms within the first month or so after getting HIV. These early symptoms can feel very much like the flu (fever, headache, weakness, fatigue, body aches, etc.), and they can be mild or severe. The flu-like symptoms typically last for only about a week, and then go away on their own. Acute Viral Syndrome is not an ongoing condition that lasts for weeks and weeks or that comes and goes over a long period of time. In addition, it's important to know that: Not everyone who is infected with HIV will experience these early, flu-like symptoms of Acute Retroviral Syndrome. If you have these symptoms right after a possible exposure to HIV, it does not mean that you have the virus, or even that you probably have it. The only way to find out is to get an HIV test. Symptoms of AIDS Most AIDS symptoms develop long after a person is infected with HIV. In fact, most people do not show symptoms of AIDS until their immune system has been severely damaged by the virus. This is usually years after they've been infected by HIV. Because AIDS is a disorder of the immune system, people often become sick because their body is vulnerable to a wide variety of illnesses (opportunistic infections or cancers), each with its own symptoms. Two people who are both sick with AIDS can have completely different sets of symptoms (or even no symptoms at all). If you have symptoms that are bothering you or that aren't going away, your best option is to be checked by a health care provider. Any symptom that could be a sign of AIDS could also be a sign of something else. Again, the only way to know if you are HIV-positive is to take an HIV test. What is the connection between HIV and other STD's? Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), also known as sexually transmitted infections or STI, come in a variety of types. There are fungi, bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Several STDs cause lesions or open sores that may serve as portals of entry directly into the blood stream and better facilitate HIV infection. Some STDs are considered to be co-factors, which assist in the immune system malfunction leading to AIDS. People who leave themselves open to STD infections also leave themselves open to eventual HIV infection. |
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