What is the difference between AIDS and HIV ?

ALL I KNOW IS THAT AIDS IS THE FINAL STAGE OF HIV

they are right
aids is the diseases n hiv is the virus that cuases it
..
but whats that to do with psychology? :oP

HIV is the virus and AIDS is the condition.

HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. A member of a group of viruses called retroviruses, HIV infects human cells and uses the energy and nutrients provided by those cells to grow and reproduce.
AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down and is unable to fight off certain infections, known as "opportunistic infections," and other illnesses that take advantage of a weakened immune system.

When a person is infected with HIV, the virus enters the body and lives and multiplies primarily in the white blood cells. These are the immune cells that normally protect us from disease. The hallmark of HIV infection is the progressive loss of a specific type of immune cell called T-helper or CD4 cells.

As the virus grows, it damages or kills these and other cells, weakening the immune system and leaving the individual vulnerable to various opportunistic infections and other illnesses, ranging from pneumonia to cancer.

What is the Difference Between HIV and AIDS? previous page next page


HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.


H - Human: because this virus can only infect human beings.
I - Immuno-deficiency: because the effect of the virus is to create a deficiency, a failure to work properly, within the body's immune system.
V - Virus: because this organism is a virus, which means one of its characteristics is that it is incapable of reproducing by itself. It reproduces by taking over the machinery of the human cell.

A - Acquired: because it's a condition one must acquire or get infected with; not something transmitted through the genes
I - Immune: because it affects the body's immune system, the part of the body which usually works to fight off germs such as bacteria and viruses
D - Deficiency: because it makes the immune system deficient (makes it not work properly)
S - Syndrome: because someone with AIDS may experience a wide range of different diseases and opportunistic infections.

HIV is the virus, and AIDS is what it does to you.
moreover, you can carry the virus & infect others, but not have AIDS yourself.

AIDS is an abreviation of medical terms that describe a fatal condition which is the most common reaction for human beings who "Aquire" the:

Human Imunodeficiency Virus. or HIV.

Aquired Imune Deficiency Syndrome