Do HIV-Negative People Have AIDS?

The term acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) describes a group of conditions caused by the effects of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Over time, HIV invades and infects cells of the immune system, causing the body to become increasingly unable to fight off infection. Although the immune system can become weakened for a number of reasons, either through disease or even medical treatment, no one who is HIV-negative (has not been infected with HIV) can develop AIDS.

Transmission and Prevention

• Only infection with HIV can lead to HIV disease, the fourth stage of which is defined as AIDS. The primary routes of HIV transmission in developed nations are unprotected penetrative sex (vaginal, anal or oral), the use of shared hypodermic needles and transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

  The correct and consistent use condoms during sex and using clean, unshared needles for injections are two important methods of preventing HIV transmission. HIV-positive pregnant women can take antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy or shortly before birth to reduce the risk of transmission to their children. Further measures include the administration of antiretroviral drugs to newborns born to HIV-positive mothers. HIV-positive mothers are advised not to breastfeed unless available alternative feeding strategies are unsafe.

HIV Disease

• From the time of infection with HIV, the virus begins to attack cells of the immune system (lymphocytes) and continues this assault over time. The body's defenses can successfully combat this effect for a time, and symptoms may not appear for long time. The asymptomatic stage of HIV disease is sometimes described as latent, but this is inaccurate. HIV continues to weaken the immune system during this time, despite the absence of symptoms.

  Clinically significant and specific symptoms begin to appear in third-stage HIV disease. At this time, the effect of HIV on the immune system leads to a chronic flu-like illness as well as night sweats, serious weight loss, fungal infections as well as skin and breathing problems, according to HIV-Symptoms.info.

AIDS

• Ultimately, as a result of the effect of HIV on the immune system, the immune system loses cell-mediated immunity, which means the ability to fight off infection on its own. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this occurs when the CD4 (a type of immune cell targeted by HIV) cell count falls below 200 per cubic milliliter of blood or when these cells make up less than 14 percent of all immune cells. Because AIDS is defined as fourth-stage HIV disease, being infected with HIV is a necessary precursor to being diagnosed with AIDS.

Other Causes of Immunosuppression

• An array of diseases can lead to decreased function of the human immune system (for a list and descriptions, see the resource link). As a result of some of these diseases, symptoms similar to those found in advanced HIV disease may occur. However, none of these diseases lead to the specific set of conditions known collectively as AIDS.

  Many medical treatments suppress the immune system. Some, as in the case of treatments for autoimmune disorders, are designed to do this. In other treatments, such as steroids or cancer treatment including chemotherapy and radiation, the suppression of the immune system is a side effect. As in the case of immune disorders, some similar problems may impact people on immunosuppressive therapies as in those with advanced HIV disease, but immunosuppressive therapy doesn't lead to AIDS.

Other Causes of AIDS

• No other disease-causing agent or other genesis has been shown to cause AIDS. Multiple alternative theories about the origins of AIDS exist, but none of these can be shown to lead to AIDS. Meanwhile, HIV has effectively and repeatedly been proved to be the sole cause of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.