whats the diff between hiv and aids?

just curious

 

Hiv is a virus and aids is a disease. You might be carrying the virus without actually being sick.

 

buut... doesnt it work the same with aids where aids can be like un noticable for like 20 years?

 

Hiv can be unnoticable for years. It becomes noticeable when it has become aids.

 

hiv has been shown to cause aids....aids being Auto Immune Defficiency Syndrom....HIV slowly destroys your immune system by replicating endlessly in your blood stream, if you have aids....you're screwed as your body lacks tha ability to fight off infections or other sicknesses by itself...but if you have HIV (which can remain dormant for a while and isnt really noticeable) there are drugs you cna take which limit its reproductive abilities and thus slowing/stopping the rate at which it destroys your immune system.

sorta like....HIV is a diet plan, and AIDS is the end result of being skinny...

note...im no doctor, but i wouldnt reccoment HIV as a favourable dieting choice

 

Without getting too technical...

There are two cycles a virus can go through: Lytic and Lysogenic. In the Lysogenic cycle, viral DNA is incorporated into human DNA and continually replicated as long as it stays in this cycle. Because the virus's DNA is incorporated with the human DNA, it is undetectable to the body. Eventually, a biological reactant of some sort (unknown) will cause the virus to go into the Lytic Cycle. In this process, the viral DNA is removed from human DNA, transcripted/translated into RNA, and is then able to assemble back into viruses and break free of the cell.

So that's basically what happens. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus infects human DNA, then when it goes into the Lytic Cycle and eventually breaks out of cells to actually effect your immune system, you then have Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (because you would now exhibit the symptoms).

You get the point.