AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency (or Immune Deficiency) Syndrome. It results from infection with a virus called HIV, which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus infects key cells in the human body called CD4-positive (CD4+) T cells. These cells are part of the body's immune system, which fights infections and various cancers.
When HIV invades the body's CD4+ T cells, the damaged immune system loses its ability to defend against diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic organisms. A substantial decline in CD4+ T cells also leaves the body vulnerable to certain cancers. .
There is no cure for AIDS, but medical treatments can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventing complications.
What Is The Difference Between HIV And AIDS? .
The term AIDS refers to an advanced stage of HIV infection, when the immune system has sustained substantial damage. Not everyone who has HIV infection develops AIDS.
When HIV progresses to AIDS, however, it has proved to be a universally fatal illness. Few people survive five years from the time they are diagnosed with AIDS, although this is increasing with improvements in treatment techniques.
Experts estimate that about half the people with HIV will develop AIDS within 10 years after becoming infected. This time varies greatly from person to person, however, and can depend on many factors, including a person's health status and health-related behaviors.
People are said to have AIDS when they have certain signs or symptoms specified in guidelines formulated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). .
The CDC's definition of AIDS includes:.
All HIV-infected people with fewer than 200 CD4+ T cells per cubic millimeter of blood (compared with CD4+ T cell counts of about 1,000 for healthy people) .
People with HIV infection who have at least one of more than two dozen AIDS-associated conditions that are the result of HIV's attack on the immune system .
AIDS Death is a normal and inevitable part of everyone's life. ... A virus called HIV causes AIDS: Human Immunodeficiency Virus. ... Including me, I do not have the slightest idea what people living with AIDS go through. I can still remember the first time I heard about AIDS. ... I was 14 years old and nobody had told me what AIDS was. ...
In 1986, 53 adolescents were reported with AIDS. ... Today, AIDS is recognized as the fifth most common cause of death among people ranging from ages 14-24 years (A Decade of Denial: Teens and AIDS in America, 1992). ... This is because there is currently no cure for AIDS. ... There is no current cure for AIDS, so someone with AIDS knows they will die soon. ... The idea of promoting abstinence and focusing on the prevalence of AIDS is a good one. ...
Politicians play a big role in helping find a cure for AIDS because they play a big role in funding laboratories and scientists. ... Defends AIDS Spending, Urges more form Europe, the money issue about AIDS funding is brought up and how much should be given to the fund. Tommy Thompson defended his view on the contribution to fight against AIDS and urges European countries to help with the planned funding. ... The United Sates also encourages countries all around the world to contribute to the AIDS fund and help out with the search for the cure of the AIDS. People with AIDS can also be c...
Riley AIDS Carlos was a really smart boy who always enjoyed reading and writing. ... All this is just because of this horrible disease called AIDS. ... One cause of people contracting AIDS is blood transmission. ... Another example of what causes you to get AIDS is having unprotected sex. ... Works Cited HIV/AIDS November 29, 2002, March 4, 2003 http://www.walgreens.com/library/topics/AIDS.jhtml How at risk are you of contracting AIDS? ...
AIDS and The Nurse AIDS is not about culture, gender, or sexual preference. ... Society must educate people, especially teens and young adults, that there is no cure for AIDS. ... AIDS and the HIV virus pose special challenges for nurses. Casual, everyday contact with an AIDS infected person does not expose anyone to AIDS, but for nurses the challenges are many. ... AIDS requires a level of training for nurses that are unique. ...
The second is written by Jayson Blair and is called Healthy Skepticism and the Marketing of AIDS. ... I believe this is the attitude is common among AIDS sufferers. ... The next article is called Healthy Skepticism and the Marketing of AIDS, by Jayson Blair. ... Just because we are talking about AIDS and HIV that doesn't mean we cannot understand. ... The ads are misleading not only to those who suffer from AIDS, but also the general public. ...
AIDS has taken many lives in the short time it has been around. ... One of the only diseases comparable to the bubonic plague is AIDS. ... Now when people discover someone has AIDS, they try keep away from the AIds victims, out of fear. ... With AIDS, most people who get AIDS don't ever know they have it untill they are dieing. ... The public awareness campaign has created a lot of funding for AIDS and AIDS awareness. ...
AIDS has killed more Americans than the Vietnam War, which killed 58,000(AIDS Understanding 10). ... You don't catch AIDS, you catch HIV. HIV is the virus that leads to AIDS. ... There are two viruses that cause AIDS. ... The third and final stage is AIDS. ...
Powell called HIV/AIDS. ... It's called HIV/AIDS." ... Bush asked the US Congress to commit fifteen billion dollars for AIDS related research and support, including ten billion dollars in new funds, to fight HIV/AIDS in the most affected countries in Africa and the Caribbean. ... While this is good news, any vaccine for HIV/AIDS is still years from being available to the public. ... No AIDS vaccine has yet done this. ...
There are thousands of Egyptians living with AIDS and they have no clue that they have the AIDS virus (http://www.aegis.com). Many of the people in Egypt do not know how to treat people with AIDS and they do not know how to act towards AIDS patients. ... The group that does know what AIDS is, do not know how to treat AIDS patients. ... He was even fired by his job because he has AIDS. ... Sometimes people don't get tested for AIDS because they are unaware of what AIDS is. ...
