Do you know how health experts are always on people to eat good and balanced meals? Well, that is so they can live a happy and healthy life. There are a lot of things you stand to benefit from eating right; one of them is a strong and functional immunity to diseased. It is extremely important for fighting infections and toxins that may want to break down the normal body functions.
Despite having a strong immunity to diseases, there are some viruses the immune system cannot fight. We’ll be talking about one of them, the different forms in which it manifests, and the disparities between those forms. On that note, let’s get right into the difference between HIV and AIDS. But first, their definitions.
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DEFINITION OF HIV
HIV is defined as a microscopic infective agent that can cause the deterioration of the human immune system. Its full meaning is Human Immunodeficiency Virus. From the title, you can tell that it has something to do with immunity and human.
The difference between AIDS and HIV is that in this case, a person living with this virus would most likely suffer from many other diseases seeing as the immune system is no longer functional enough to fight against unhealthy foreign bodies. At a slow but steady rate, this deterioration continues to go on until it is fully blown and sets into the next phase – which is very deadly. It takes about 10 to 15 years for it to get to this point.
Here is another point to take note of when answering the question – what is the difference between HIV and AIDS? – You can do something to prevent this ailment from getting fully blown and out of hand. With the help of prescribed treatments and a good nutritional plan, one can manage the infection and still get a chance at living a normal life.
One may not be sure he or she is infected with this disease. The only way to be sure for real is to get tested. Some symptoms of HIV are
- Acute rash
- Fever
- Mouth ulcers
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Muscle aches
Again, it is important to get tested before making conclusions. It is wrong to assume one has this disease just because they show one or any combination of the symptoms stated above. In a case where the result is positive after a test, the best thing to do is to see a doctor immediately to start treatment. However, everyone who is infected should really learn what's the difference between HIV and AIDS. This will help them manage their health as they go through the phases of this infection. At the earliest stage, also known as the acute stage, the rate of transmission from one person to another is usually very high. The virus multiplies at a very rapid rate in this stage, and care should be taken to avoid transmitting it to other people.
DEFINITION OF AIDS
AIDS is defined as the result of a severely damaged immune system based on untreated HIV infection. It is an acronym which stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Basically, this condition is still HIV, only in this case, it is more developed and severe, which is the difference betweenn HIV and AIDS.
If you contact the virus and you make it a point of duty to take the required treatments, then you don’t have to bother about this condition. But if you’re not placed on treatments, the virus will weaken your immune system to the point that it becomes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
Another note that explains what the difference between HIV and AIDS is can be seen in the way the symptom manifest. At the earlier stage of this virus, one may not know that he or she is infected. This is because there may be no symptoms at this time until much later. This is not the case with AIDS; the symptoms are always present in this case and it is very easy to tell that a person is infected by physically observing their health condition and appearance. Despite that, it is always important to carry out a test before drawing a conclusion.
Some of the symptoms that are associated with this phase are
- Depression
- Rapid weight loss
- Pneumonia
- Sores
- Blotches
- Profuse night sweats
- Extreme tiredness
- Recurring fever
As the virus increases, the risk of developing “opportunistic infection” increases. These are diseases that based off of weakened immune systems. The more the virus is present without treatment, the more it damages the immune system, giving way for as many opportunistic infections as possible at the same time.
Another way to tell what is the difference between AIDS and HIV is based on life expectancy. Although this virus can be managed at its earlier stage, the life expectancy of the infected person drops significantly if it ever turns to AIDS. This is why it is always very important that people get tested very often to find out their status. If one’s status is positive and discovered on time, one can start taking treatment and the virus would never develop to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
CONCLUSION
In a lot of cases, these two terms are used interchangeably, which is wrong. Strictly speaking, the HIV and AIDS difference is glaring and as such, should not be used in place of the other. These two are not the same diagnosis and they are not the same condition.
Health care professionals use antibody and blood tests to diagnose this virus. If the result is positive, the person is expected to be screened for additional diseases. This will help the professionals to draw a conclusion regarding the phase of the infection. Right after this, the next thing is to place the patient on proper treatment and medication managed by an infectious disease consultant.
The difference between HIV positive and AIDS as well as their similarities and how they react in the human body can be overwhelming. Prevention of the risk factors that result in the transmission of the virus should be avoided at all cost. Do not have unprotected sex with an infected person, do not share sharp objects like needles, care should be taken during blood transfusion to ensure it is free before use, etc.
Currently, this virus can be managed at the earlier stage, but cannot be cured. Although, research has been ongoing for a while now, so far, there has been no solid results in this regard.
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