What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) are related but fundamentally different in their significance and role in disease progression.
HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which play a crucial role in the body's immune response.
AIDS is the final stage of untreated HIV infection. It is diagnosed when the CD4 cell count drops below a certain threshold (usually below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood) or when a person develops one or more of the opportunistic infections or cancers characteristic of AIDS.
The difference between HIV and AIDS is that HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, while AIDS is the final stage of untreated HIV infection, characterized by a severely weakened immune system and the presence of opportunistic infections.
Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids
Source: https://hivinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv
Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2024-07-16 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2025
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