whats the difference between hiv and aids?

Answer 1

hIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus, a living organism that invades human cells and causes the body to malfunction in certain ways, mainly by compromising the immune system.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a set of symptoms caused by the continued presence of HIV in the body. It is not a living agent, a biological organism.

this is why we say that HIV causes AIDS. If you contract HIV, you will eventually develop the set of symptoms we describe as AIDS.


but hiv is not as dagerous as aids

Answer 2

HIV and AIDS, though definitely related, are decidedly different. HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It attacks the immune system. Despite many, many claims of holistic "doctors", faith healers, and others, there is no known cure for HIV infection. Nor for AIDS. AIDS is Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. AIDS is caused by HIV. However, most are phasing out this term in favor of "Advanced HIV Disease". The progression of HIV infection to AIDS is not always inevitable. There are people who are termed "long term non-progressors". These are people who have had HIV for a very long time but exhibit no appreciable decrease in their immune function; even without taking medications. Recently, the advancement of HIV infection to AIDS has been slowed dramtically by highly effective (and rather expensive) Anti-HIV medications. But these are not a cure. According to the Centers for Disease Control (the CDC) there are specific criteria for an AIDS diagnosis. People who have had an HIV positive test result combined with a CD4+ count lower than 200 or CD4+ percentage less than 14 or an opportunistic infection (OI) have AIDS. That is, a person with HIV and an opportunistic infection (any one of about 30 specific illnesses) is diagnosed with AIDS regardless of the CD4 count. Also, a person with HIV and fewer than 200 CD4 cells is considered to have AIDS even if the person never had an OI. These criteria for AIDS diagnosis aren't usually met until 8 to 10 years of untreated HIV infection. What happens is HIV slowly and surely destroys the immune system thereby reducing -- or even eliminating -- the body's ability to fight illnesses. As I'm sure you're aware, without a healthy immune system a person becomes susceptable to normally harmless illnesses like a cold or the flu. Finally, once diagnosed with AIDS, the diagnosis never goes away. Even if one's CD4 count rises into the 700 range after being below 200, that person is still considered to have AIDS. Similarly, a person who no longer has an OI will still have a diagnosis of AIDS (or Advanced HIV Disease).

Answer 3

HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus, a living organism that invades human cells and causes the body to malfunction in certain ways, mainly by compromising the immune system.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a set of symptoms caused by the continued presence of HIV in the body. It is not a living agent, a biological organism.

this is why we say that HIV causes AIDS. If you contract HIV, you will eventually develop the set of symptoms we describe as AIDS.

Answer 4

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) causes AIDS. You can be infected with HIV but not have AIDS yet.

Either way, you're f*cked.

Answer 5

HIV is the viris that causes AIDS.

A person can be HIV positive, but not develope AIDS until years later, if at all.

Answer 6

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. Many people have the HIV virus in their bodies but don't (yet) have AIDS. Now please tell me what this to do with government.