Know the Difference between HIV and AIDS

HIV stands for ‘human immunodeficiency virus.’ HIV is a member of the retrovirus group of viruses. HIV targets the immune system's white blood cells. For the remainder of their lives, these cells will remain contaminated. HIV will progress to AIDS if left untreated. AIDS stands for ‘acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is also referred to as 'advanced HIV disease' or the late stage of HIV infection”. It is an umbrella term for the disorders that arise after years of untreated HIV infection, by which time the immune system has been seriously compromised and is unable to fend against infections. An HIV infection doesn’t always develop to stage 3. Many HIV-positive individuals actually survive for years without getting AIDS. A person living with HIV might anticipate leading a life that is almost normal lifespan due to modern in treatment. Let’s discuss about HIV and AIDS in detail.

Difference between HIV and AIDS

 

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. But AIDS and HIV are not synonymous. Furthermore, AIDS is not always present in patients with HIV. AIDS cannot be transmitted from one person to another; the HIV virus can.

The HIV virus can spread from person to person. In the body, HIV gradually eliminates CD4 cells, also known as T helper cells, which are a vital type of immune system cell that aids in infection prevention. Inadequate levels of these CD4 cells impair your body's capability to fight off infections. This leaves you with an immune system that can’t fight off infections, even those that wouldn’t normally make you sick.

HIV eventually damages your immune system, leading to the condition known as AIDS. AIDS is the third and most advanced or dangerous stage of HIV infection in which you have extremely low CD4 cell counts causing severe infections, which eventually results in death.

 

How Do You Get HIV?

One can contract HIV by direct contact with certain bodily fluids from a person with HIV, like blood, anal mucus, vaginal secretions, semen, and breast milk. The virus come in your body through skin wounds or cuts, as well as through mucous membranes (like rectum, vaginal canal, and penile entrance). HIV can be acquired from:

 

• Having unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse.
• Sharing needles or syringes used for injecting drugs, piercings and getting tattoos.
• Being accidentally pricked by a needle that has blood contaminated with HIV
• Injecting vaginal fluids, semen (cum), or blood contaminated with HIV into open wounds or sores on your body
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Breastfeed

HIV cannot be transmitted by:

• Hugging or shaking hands with an infected individual.
• Contact with items that an HIV-positive person has used, such as dishes, toilet seats, or doorknobs
  
  
• The water or the air
• Ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects

Hence, using condoms every time you have sex and not sharing needles can help protect you and your partners from HIV. If you do have HIV, treatment can lower or even stop the chances of transmitting the virus to other people during sex. If you don’t have HIV, there’s also a daily medicine called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that can protect you from HIV. HIV can also be passed to babies during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding so a pregnant woman with HIV can take medicine to greatly reduce the chance that baby will get HIV.

 

HIV Symptoms vs AIDS Symptoms

Early HIV symptoms may resemble the flu. Acute HIV, often known as primary infection, does not always cause symptoms. If they do, they can be subtle and unnoticeable. Some people think they have the flu. After infection, you may see early symptoms two to four weeks later.

 

Get tested right away if you're exhibiting these symptoms and there's a possibility you've been exposed to the virus:

 

• Fever
• Headache
• Tiredness and fatigue
• Muscle pains and skin rashes
• Joint discomfort
• Sore throat
• Mouth sores that hurt
• Diarrhoea
• Loss of weight (unintended)
• Coughing
• Sweating at night
  
  

 

AIDS signs and symptoms

AIDS is associated with the particular infection or sickness; hence AIDS symptoms are different from HIV symptoms. Here are several indicators that you might have AIDS:

 

• Unexpected weight reduction
• Sweating at night
• Recurrent fever that keeps returning
• Extreme exhaustion for no apparent cause
• Diarrhoea (more than a week long)
• Sores on genitalia, mouth, or anal region
• Pneumonia
• Blemishes on skin or within your eyelids, lips, or nose
• Memory issues
• Depression
• Recurring or chronic vaginal or oral yeast infections
• Skin rashes or non-healing flaky skin
• Inflammatory disease of the pelvis that is resistant to treatment

AIDS patients are more susceptible to opportunistic infections than non-AIDS patients due to their weak immunological system. These include:

• Thrush (oral candidiasis)
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
• Herpes simplex virus (HSV)
• Malaria
• Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)
• Toxoplasmosis (Toxo)
• Tuberculosis (TB)
• Kaposi sarcoma
•  

Treatment of HIV/AIDS

 

An HIV treatment regimen is a set of HIV medications that people on ART take either daily (pills) or on a scheduled basis (injections). Oral medications are frequently bundled into a single pill or capsule. Certain individuals may use newer long-acting medications that are administered by injection once every two months.".

 

Hence, anyone who shares needles or engages in sexual activity without a condom runs the risk of contracting HIV. The risk of contracting HIV can be prevented by using a condom for intercourse, taking HIV medication as part of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to lower your viral load to undetectable, and never sharing needles or other injecting supplies like syringes, spoons, or swabs if you use drugs.

 

If you have any questions about HIV or AIDS, you can check with our physician at Ask a doctor, 24x7.