Jessie I Snyder

Can You Have HIV With AIDS?



Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2011

by Jessie I Snyder
TRUE INSPIRATIONS

Can you have HIV and AIDS at the same time? No. Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome also known as AIDS. When you are first diagnosed, if your CD4 count (the cells that measure your immune system) is above 200 then you have HIV. However, if your CD4 counts are less than 200 or you have an opportunistic infection (An infection by a microorganism that normally does not cause disease, but becomes pathogenic when the body’s immune system is impaired and unable to fight off infection), then you are diagnosed with having AIDS.

Generally speaking a person contracts HIV before they contract AIDS, because AIDS is just the final stages of HIV infection. Over time the HIV virus attacks and destroys the body’s immune system (the system that protects the body from diseases). So is HIV and AIDS the same thing? No. HIV is the abbreviation for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which is a collection of symptoms, diseases, and infections associated with an acquired deficiency of the immune system. While HIV is the underlying cause of AIDS, not all HIV-positive people have AIDS, because HIV can remain in a dormant state for many years.

Within a few weeks of being infected with HIV, some people develop flu-like symptoms that last for a week or two, but others have no symptoms at all. People living with HIV may appear and feel healthy for several years. However, even if they feel healthy, HIV is still affecting their bodies. All people with HIV should be seen on a regular basis by a health care provider experienced with treating HIV infection. Many people with HIV, including those who feel healthy, can benefit greatly from current medications used to treat HIV infection. These medications can limit or slow down the destruction of the immune system, improve the health of people living with HIV, and may reduce their ability to transmit HIV infection.

HIV is the virus which, when untreated, becomes AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The virus attacks the body's immune system, especially white blood cells called CD-4 cells (also called “T-cells”). Your immune system is what fights against infections to keep your body healthy and T-cells play a key role in keeping a person protected from infections. If your immune system is weakened, it can't protect your body and you can easily get sick.

In conclusion, HIV and AIDS is not the same thing, HIV is the virus that causes AIDS, and a person can have HIV without ever developing into AIDS. Only if a person’s immune system becomes severely damaged by HIV infection does a person develop AIDS.
Jessie Snyder is a 39 year old college student at Full Sail University, web writer, and author of two books True Inspirations of the Heart (a book of poetry); and Sleeping With The Angels-A Story of Courage (her life story.) She hopes to get both books published within the next five years. She enjoys writing poetry, special interest and first person stories. Contact her at www.jessiesnyder.blogspot.com or follow her on Facebook, My Space OR Twitter. Also, at http://faithandinspriation.blogspot.com/
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