What’s the Difference Between HIV And AIDS

It can be easy to confuse HIV and AIDS. They are treatments that are different, but they go hand in hand: HIV is a virus that can lead to a disease called AIDS, also known as stage 3 HIV.

A diagnosis of HIV or AIDS has at one time been considered a death sentence. Thanks to progress and the development of new treatments, people with HIV are enjoying healthy, active lives at every point today. An HIV-positive person who adheres to routine antiretroviral treatment may expect to live an almost normal life span.

HIV is a virus

HIV is a virus that can cause deterioration of the immune system. The word “HIV” refers to a virus with human immunodeficiency. The name defines the virus: It can be transmitted only by humans, and it affects the immune system. As a consequence, the immune system can not act as well as it should.

Our immune systems can fully rid our bodies of many viruses but this is not the case with HIV. However, drugs can very effectively regulate HIV by interrupting its viral life cycle.

AIDS is a condition

While HIV is a virus that can cause infection, AIDS (which is short for the syndrome of acquired immunodeficiency) is a disease. HIV contracting may result in AIDS developing.

AIDS, or stage 3 HIV, occurs when the immune system has suffered severe damage from HIV. It is a complex condition with symptoms that differ from person to person. Phase 3 HIV symptoms are linked to the infections that a person may develop as a result of having a compromised immune system that can’t combat them. That include tuberculosis, pneumonia, among others, known collectively as opportunistic infections.

Certain types of cancer are more likely to occur when an immune system often works less efficiently.

Alignment with antiretroviral therapy can prevent the development of stage 3 HIV.

HIV doesn’t always progress to stage 3

HIV is a virus and the disease which the virus may cause is AIDS. Infection with HIV does not usually lead to stage 3. In reality, many people living with HIV have not developed AIDS for years. A patient living with HIV may expect to live a near-normal life span, thanks to advances in care.

If a person could have an HIV infection without AIDS, someone who has an AIDS diagnosis has already contracted HIV. The HIV infection never goes away and there is no cure, even though AIDS never develops.

HIV can be transmitted from person to person

Since HIV is a virus, like many other viruses, it can be transmitted between humans. On the other hand, AIDS is a disease that a person only acquires after they have contracted HIV.

The virus is spread by the transmission of bodily fluids from one human to another. HIV is transmitted most frequently through sex without condoms or sharing needles. Less so, during pregnancy, a mother can pass on the virus to her baby.

HIV doesn’t always produce symptoms   

HIV normally causes flu-like symptoms within two to four weeks of transmission. This short time span is called acute infection. The immune system keeps the infection under control which leads to a latency time.

The immune system can not kill HIV entirely but can regulate it for a long time to come. An individual with HIV can have no symptoms at all during this latency phase which can last for years. However, this person can develop AIDS without antiretroviral therapy, and as a result, may experience many of the symptoms associated with the disease.

HIV infection can be diagnosed by a simple test 

The immune system produces antibodies against the virus on HIV transmission. A test of blood or saliva may detect certain antibodies to decide whether there is a virus. It can take several weeks for the HIV antibody test to come back positive after transmission.

Another test searches for antigens, which are virus-produced proteins, and for antibodies. This test will diagnose HIV just days after being infected.

Both tests are accurate and are easy to administer.

AIDS diagnosis is more complicated

AIDS is an HIV infection at a late stage. Healthcare services are searching for a number of factors to determine if HIV latency has advanced to stage 3 of HIV.

Since HIV kills immune cells called CD4 cells, one way to detect AIDS is for health care providers to do a count of those cells. A person with no HIV may have 500 to 1,200 CD4 cells in any location. An individual with HIV is considered to have stage 3 HIV when the cells have fallen to 200.

Another signaling factor for the production of stage 3 HIV is the presence of opportunistic infections. Opportunistic infections are diseases caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that would not render a person suffering from an undamaged immune system ill.

Treatment and life expectancy

Life expectancy decreases dramatically if HIV progresses into stage 3 HIV. At this stage, damage to the immune system is hard to repair. Infections and other conditions which result from severe impairment of the immune system, such as certain cancers, are common. But many people with stage 3 HIV live long lives with effective antiretroviral treatment and some immune system recovery.

With today’s HIV infection therapies, humans will live with HIV and never develop AIDS. It is also important to remember that the risk of transmitting the virus to a partner is significantly reduced by effective antiretroviral treatment and a sustained undetectable viral charge. PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a type of HIV prevention by which people who do not have HIV take HIV medication on a regular basis to reduce their risk of HIV if they are exposed to the virus. Training will stop HIV from grabbing and spreading all over your body. buy prep online at safe healths online trusted pharmacy at a low price.