How Do You Identify When HIV Has Become AIDS?
HIV and AIDS effect millions of people worldwide. Many people are aware of the two diseases but may not be sure how they are related. This article will briefly describe what HIV is and how HIV progresses to a diagnosis of AIDS. HIV stands for the ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus’. HIV infects cells in the immune system and the central nervous system by damaging the CD4 (also known as T4 or T-helper) that play a crucial role in the immune system. A large reduction in the number of these cells weakens the immune system. A person who has HIV gradually loses the protection of his immune system and begins to experience health problems. These may be fairly small problems at first–skin problems or yeast infections–but over time the illnesses become more serious. The amount of time that it takes HIV to begin to affect a person’s health varies widely from one individual to another. The process usually takes several years. HIV infection can generally be broken down into four distinct stages: prim
