Key points at a glance
🧬 Early diagnosis prevents AIDS:
If HIV is recognised and treated in time, AIDS does not usually develop.
🧪 An „AIDS test“ is an HIV test:
This almost always refers to an HIV test that detects the virus long before AIDS.
💊 Treatment halts the effects of AIDS:
HIV drugs strengthen the immune system and reduce the incidence of many AIDS-related illnesses.
🌍 Global overview
Since the start of the AIDS epidemic, around 42 million people worldwide have died of AIDS (as of 2024).
The history of Aids
The HI virus was discovered in 1983 and identified as the cause of Aids in the same year. For a long time, HIV was a fatal diagnosis - because an effective treatment option for HIV to prevent Aids only came much later (the so-called "antiretroviral therapy", which was introduced in 1996). Thanks to ever-improving therapies, nobody in Germany has to suffer from AIDS today. HIV is now a chronic disease that is easy to treat. Detailed information and background information on the history of HIV and Aids can be found at on Magazin.hiv, the online magazine of Deutsche Aidshilfe.
The cause and development of AIDS
AIDS is caused by an untreated HIV infection. The virus specifically targets cells of the immune system. If the infection remains untreated, the viruses multiply continuously. In doing so, they weaken the body’s ability to fight off pathogens and defective cells. In addition, damage occurs to the intestines, kidneys, bones and brain. In almost all those affected, this process eventually leads to AIDS. Only in very few people does the immune system manage to keep HIV permanently in check on its own.
Worldwide, HIV is primarily transmitted through sex and intravenous drug use, unless protective measures such as safer sex or safer use are practised. Transmission to children is possible during pregnancy, at birth or through breastfeeding, but can be prevented by HIV medication and other measures.
The course of an untreated HIV infection
AIDS is diagnosed when the immune system, weakened by HIV, is no longer able to fight off certain diseases. The most common AIDS-defining conditions include Pneumocystis pneumonia, a fungal infection of the oesophagus, and tumours such as Kaposi’s sarcoma, cervical cancer or lymphomas. Another characteristic feature is a significant decline in the number of T-helper cells in the blood: in AIDS, their count is usually below 200 per microlitre, whereas the normal range is between 500 and 1,500.
Without treatment, around half of all people living with HIV develop AIDS within ten years of becoming infected. This rarely happens in the first two years, but the rate is around 6 per cent per year thereafter.
HIV test rather than AIDS test
Only an HIV test can confirm whether a person is infected with HIV. The term ‘AIDS test’, which is often used, is not technically correct: the test detects HIV antibodies, not AIDS itself. A positive result therefore does not mean that AIDS has already developed.
If HIV treatment is started in good time, the onset of AIDS can be prevented. With HIV, it is now possible to live a long and fulfilling life.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is AIDS, how does it develop, and how can it be treated today? Here, we answer frequently asked questions about HIV and AIDS and explain in simple terms what happens in the body, what illnesses can arise, and why early HIV treatment is so important.
What does the abbreviation AIDS stand for?
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The term refers to a number of symptoms that occur together and share the same cause.
What causes AIDS?
It is caused by an untreated HIV infection. The virus weakens the immune system to such an extent that the body can no longer fight off certain diseases.
At what point is it referred to as AIDS?
as soon as AIDS-defining conditions such as Pneumocystis pneumonia, a fungal infection of the oesophagus or certain tumours occur, or if the number of T-cells falls below 200 per microlitre of blood.
Can AIDS be reversed?
Yes. HIV medicines stop the virus from multiplying and prevent it from damaging the immune system, allowing the immune system to recover and the symptoms to subside.
What is the best way to prevent AIDS?
Through early diagnosis of HIV and the timely start of treatment. Regular HIV testing is essential for this.
