HIV is a virus that attacks T cells and can be transmitted sexually or through blood products. AIDS is a medical condition that appears in the advanced stages of HIV infection and is characterized by the presence of opportunistic infections and a weakened immune system. The difference between HIV and AIDS is that HIV is a virus while AIDS is a disorder. Routine HIV testing can identify the infection in its early stages, allowing for prophylactic drugs to delay the onset of AIDS.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the T cells of the immune system. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a syndrome that appears in the advanced stages of HIV infection. The difference between HIV and AIDS is that HIV is a virus while AIDS is a medical condition. HIV is sometimes referred to as the causative agent, as it is not possible to develop AIDS without an HIV infection, although it is possible to become infected with HIV without developing AIDS.
HIV can be transmitted sexually or through blood products. Some common risk factors for HIV infection include: unprotected sex, sharing needles, and exposure to contaminated blood products. Once someone is infected with HIV, the virus begins replicating in the bloodstream, slowly hijacking T cells so they can’t function normally. If the infection is allowed to progress, it will eventually develop into AIDS. People with HIV and AIDS are at increased risk of opportunistic infections because their immune systems are weakened.
AIDS is characterized by HIV infection and the presence of one or more opportunistic infections. Toxoplasmosis, uncontrollable candida infections, cytomegalovirus, pneumocystitis pneumonia, and Kaposi’s sarcoma are some examples of AIDS-associated infections. In the patient’s blood tests, the number of T cells is drastically below normal values, reflecting the weakened state of the immune system. Even the HIV virus in the body of an AIDS patient is still present and infectious, and someone with AIDS can pass HIV on to someone else.
One might think of the difference between HIV and AIDS as meaning that HIV is a virus, while AIDS is a disorder, just like Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is a disorder caused by infection with staph bacteria. The progression of the viral infection to full-blown AIDS is highly undesirable, as the opportunistic infections that arise can kill the patient. Routine HIV testing can identify the infection in its early stages, allowing the patient to use prophylactic drugs that will slow down the replication rate of the virus, delaying the onset of AIDS.
The line between HIV and AIDS has been blurred in the popular media, which may be confusing to laymen. Many clinics, for example, advertise “free AIDS tests” to their clients, when in reality they mean “free HIV tests.” Both HIV and AIDS are also the subject of a great deal of research in the scientific community, with doctors looking for new treatment approaches for the early stages of HIV infection and for AIDS itself.
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