When the immune defenses are compromised, a person can developAIDS(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
HIV is mainly transmitted through anal or vaginal sex.
This article explains the causes and symptoms ofHIV/AIDS, including how the disease is diagnosed and treated.
Illustration by Mira Norian for Verywell Health
HIV and AIDS: What Are the Differences?
HIV is avirus that can lead to AIDSif the infection is left untreated.
AIDS is the final stage of HIV.
Having HIV means youcanget AIDS, but it doesn’t mean youwillget AIDS.
Today, AIDS is largely the result of untreated HIV infection.
once you nail been diagnosed with HIV, you will always have HIV.
HIV-negativemeans that there is no evidence of the virus in your blood.
However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are clear of the infection.
Unlikely modes of transmission includeoral sex,tattooing or body piercing, dental work, andblood transfusions.
Risk factors for HIVinclude:
Where Did HIV Come From?
HIV Symptoms
Not everyone gets symptoms during the acute and chronic stages of HIV.
Those who do often have generalized, nonspecific symptoms that are easily mistaken for other illnesses.
AIDS Symptoms
The symptoms of AIDS vary by the throw in of infection you get.
The most common method of HIV testing in the United States is acombination antibody/antigen test.
Results are returned in around 20 minutes.
If the results are positive, a blood test is needed to confirm the results.
How Is HIV Spread?
HIV/AIDS Treatment
HIV is treated withantiretroviral drugs.
Antiretroviral drugs work by blocking a stage in thevirus’s life cycle.
Antiretroviral drugs do not cure HIV.
If you stop treatment, the virus will return.
Antiretroviral therapy involves the combination of two or more drugs of different classes.
There are six classes of antiretroviral drugs, each classified by the stage of the cycle they inhibit.
Complications of HIV/AIDS
Advanced HIV infection can affect nearly every organ system of the body.
With some, the infection may become systemic, meaning that the entire body is involved.
HIV/AIDS: Support and Resources
For some, HIV can be life-changing and difficult to comprehend.
With the appropriate uninterrupted treatment, you might expect to live a normal to near-normal life expectancy.
That’s just five years short of the average life expectancy of someone without HIV.
Despite the benefits of treatment, 1 in 8 people living with HIV in the United States remain undiagnosed.
Of those who are diagnosed, only 70% are able to sustain an undetectable viral load.
Department of Health and Human Services.Guidelines for prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections in HIV-infected adults and adolescents.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.HIV testing.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Terms, definitions, and calculations used in CDC HIV surveillance publications.
National Institutes of Health.The stages of HIV infection.
doi:10.1093/ofid/ofx249
Arora DR, Maheshwari M, Arora B.Rapid point-of-care testing for detection of HIV and clinical monitoring.ISRN AIDS.
2013;2013:287269. doi:10.1155/2013/287269
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Information regarding the OraQuick In-Home HIV test.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Fast facts: HIV and gay and bisexual men.
Kaiser Family Foundation.The impact of HIV on Black People in the United States.
2014;18(7):13591367. doi:10.1007/s10461-013-0657-z
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.HIV among youth in the US.
2017;27(4):238-243. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2017.02.003
Food and Drug Administration.FDA-approved HIV medicines.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first extended-release, injectable drug regimen for adults living with HIV.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.AIDS-defining conditions.
